Category: News

First Tee Blue Ridge Making a Difference in Central VA

By Jerry Ratcliffe / The Daily Progress

First Tee Blue Ridge making a difference in Central Virginia

If you would really like to do something for Central Virginia, specifically youngsters that reside in our area, then check out First Tee of the Virginia Blue Ridge. The organization is on the comeback trail and stronger than ever. A previous First Tee program survived by the skin of its teeth for just over a decade before going under when the City of Charlottesville pulled the plug on funding. First Tee Blue Ridge receives no city or county money. All funding raised remains right here, and is making a major impact with kids. The reorganized group reached approximately 5,000 youth last year, and get this … operates with a four-person staff plus a group of volunteers.

If you’re not familiar with the First Tee program, then you likely jump to the conclusion that it is all about golf. You’re not alone. First Tee uses golf as a platform, but that’s only where it begins. First Tee Blue Ridge’s mission is to teach the nine core values to its students, values such as integrity, respect and perseverance through the game of golf. Yes, kids are learning the game at the same time, but so much more. Thanks to Farmington Country Club, Birdwood Golf Club and The Highlands practice range in Ruckersville, kids are learning in quality, safe environments and taught by instructors who care about kids.

The program touches youth in Charlottesville, Albemarle, Buckingham, Orange, Fluvanna, Greene, Louisa, and Nelson counties and is involved in 11 elementary schools (tied in with the physical education programs), and all six Boys and Girls Clubs in the area. Within the past year, the Charlottesville Police Department has joined forces with First Tee. Sgt. Joey Lewis recruited some kids from Walker Upper Elementary School and picks them up at 3:15 for a van ride to Birdwood.

Along the way, officers and kids strike up conversation and form a relationship before golf and core value training begins at the Birdwood practice range.

 

If you don’t believe First Tee is making a difference, talk to someone involved in the program as a leader, instructor, or better yet, talk to one of the parents of a kid involved. Some of these kids will become good golfers and perhaps even earn a college scholarship. Others will just enjoy the game through life, and some, eh, may lose interest in golf along the way.

What will be everlasting are the life lessons and core values.

 

Jin Ellington, the Blue Ridge chapter’s executive director, wants all her First Tee kids to eventually exit the program with what she calls her five C’s: competence, connection, confidence, character and caring. Oh, and a bonus one, contribution, as in giving back to the program and the community. “This is a dream curriculum, one of the best I’ve found,” said Dr. Ellen Markowitz, assistant professor at UVa and the program’s keynote speaker at its annual spring luncheon. Markowitz has traveled the country in a life-long association with sports-based youth development programs, something she is passionate about. She spent 20 years in New York City with an involvement with youth development before coming to Charlottesville. “First Tee makes an incredible difference,” Markowitz said. “I know how hard Jin and everyone in the organization works. Life skills must be taught. It’s not just about putting, chipping and driving. First Tee is one of the best groups in the country teaching these values.”

Ellington wants the First Tee kids to be college ready, career ready and community ready after they go through the program. Notice there was no mention of golf in that mission statement?

What better way to help kids grow in your own community while having fun at the same time? Naturally, none of this comes cheap. Like any group, it requires financial support. If you’re a golfer, the most enjoyable way you can support the group financially is to participate in the organization’s largest fundraising event, its annual golf tournament. The First Tee Invitational will be held July 16 at two locations, Farmington and Keswick Hall’s Full Cry golf courses. If you regularly read this column, then you know that both Farmington and Keswick were recently named among the top five golf courses in the state by the Virginia Golf Ratings Panel’s Top 50. Spaces are limited, so if you’re interested in playing or buying a foursome for your company, contact First Tee pronto. If you don’t play or can’t play, you can become an event sponsor or contributor.

 

For more information on how you can participate in assisting the tournament or the First Tee organization in general, check out its website: firstteevirginiablueridge.org, or contact Ellington at (434) 987-0133.

 

You’ll be investing in Central Virginia’s future.

 
Source: http://www.dailyprogress.com/sports/ratcliffe-first-tee-blue-ridge-making-a-difference-in-central/article_84e62f0d-14d2-5b7d-b79c-e78cba3a1ff6.html

2018 Program Vision

This is the script for the speech given by Jin Ellington, Executive Director, at the 3rd annual Spring Luncheon on April 2, 2018. —— Thank you so much Ellen for providing us a framework to better understand how The First Tee, as a sports-based organization, is also first and foremost a youth development organization. Given your expertise in this area, it’s so encouraging to hear that we’re doing it right and that we’re doing it well. I am inspired each day by my board members and staff who have the passion for making a difference in kids’ lives. Our board had the vision 2 years ago to reinstate this chapter of The First Tee in order to continue to provide access and opportunities and to teach life-enhancing values and skills to all youth in this community. Prior to coming to The First Tee, I was involved with an education nonprofit that worked exclusively with Title I middle schools in providing afterschool, extended learning opportunities for low-income students. During my first year, I’ll never forget hearing from an assistant principal that Joshua, one of the tallest, biggest 8th grade boys in the school who also played defense for the school football team and generally had a tough facade, came into her office the Friday before spring break crying. And why was he crying? Joshua was worried for himself and his younger siblings because the breakfast and lunch they received each day at school were the only meals they got and of course, school would be out of session for the next week. That was the defining moment for me. It became crystal clear to me that in order for this young man to even have the remote chance to break out of the poverty cycle, he had to start on a pathway towards success. He had to have the academic skills needed to graduate high school. But that pathway meant more than just passing English and math. He had to be surrounded by caring adults who would serve as mentors to guide him. He had to be able to envision himself in a career he loved doing and most importantly, he had to believe in his ability to accomplish that. The First Tee of the Virginia Blue Ridge exists because we believe that we can transform students’ lives for the better. That we can teach social and emotional skills that are in fact better determinants of students’ success. Based upon research by CASEL, the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, programs like ours, that specifically teach students how to recognize and understand their emotions, feel empathy, make decisions, and build and maintain relationships can not only have significant immediate positive effects on students’ behavior and academic performance, but can also lead to lasting changes on important developmental outcomes long after the program has ended. For example, students showed improvement in learning outcomes and academic achievement such as a 6% increase in high school graduation rates and an 11% increase in college graduation rates, Additionally, students were also less likely to ever be arrested, become involved with the juvenile justice system, or become involved with substance abuse. Within the 5 C Framework that Ellen shared, our current programs and curriculum already contribute to the 5 C’s. For example, our Nine Core Values obviously help shape our students’ character and confidence, teaching them responsibility, perseverance, and integrity. Our Nine Healthy Habits with the focus on emotional and social development teach our students how to be empathetic to others, appreciate diversity and meet the “Caring” piece of the framework. The First Tee creates Connections for students by providing fun, engaging afterschool activities both in partnership with youth-serving organizations like the Boys and Girls Club of Central Virginia and exclusively through our classes at the golf courses. Our coaches are caring, passionate people who undergo rigorous training in learning how to not only teach the game of golf but also how to build supportive relationships based on empathy and high positive expectations. They help participants set goals and they inspire them to use valuable skills beyond golf. Just as Joshua needed all the pieces of the puzzle, our challenge now is to figure out how to do a better job in building upon our students’ academic and career-related competencies and how to continue to inspire our students to be leaders and contribute back to society. So in my vision for our program impact we have our own C’s – three of them in fact: to help our participants be college-ready, career-ready, and community ready. Moving forward, we will make even more explicit the connections between the lessons and values learned in golf and how they translate to school. We will help them develop the academic skills needed to graduate high school and then help them understand and navigate the different college pathways available to them. We will provide participants exposure to the multitude of careers out there and support them in developing the skills necessary to be workplace ready. And most importantly, we will create opportunities for participants to take all they’ve gained and to put it into practice through leadership, community service, and giving back. As a mother of two young children, I am blessed enough to say my kids will probably never have to worry about whether there is food on the table or a roof over their heads. Of course as a parent I worry about what college my kids will get into and whether or not they’ll have a successful career. However, when I think back to my own life, my defining moments, and the legacy I want to leave behind. It isn’t the fact that I had a great education  and experience at Duke University or that I’ve dedicated my career to education and youth-based nonprofits and now serve as the Executive Director of The First Tee. It’s instead in the way I treat others. It’s what I do when I make mistakes or when I am faced with challenges. It’s the kind of person and my character that I want to be remembered for. At the end of the day, The First Tee of the Virginia Blue Ridge is here to educate, inspire, and transform the lives of the youth in this area – to help our kids become good golfers but even more so, better people. The youth in this community need you to be engaged and to get involved- I hope you will join us on this journey to make a difference in their lives.

Schilling Show Interview

Jin Ellington, Executive Director, and Bruce Blair, our new Program Director, talk about The First Tee of the Virginia Blue Ridge with Rob Schilling on the Schilling Show. Listen to the interview below at 28:30.