Members of the Month – October 2021

Reagan; City Heights Member of the Month
  The City Heights Member of the Month is Reagan! Reagan is a fifth grader who recently moved up to Level 2; he put in lots of time and effort to level up. He is an artistic, helpful and engaged Pro Kids Member that is always practicing kindness and courtesy. Reagan is very active and curious. He loves playing four square, experimenting with science, and spending time with his friends. He has gone on many field trips like rock climbing, biking, and visiting farms. He enjoys everything he participates in and always brings a smile. We appreciate Reagan’s positive attitude, kindness, and curiosity. He is always learning something new, asking questions, and befriending new members at Pro Kids. Congrats on your hard work Reagan!  
Daniela, Oceanside Member of the Month
The Oceanside Member of the Month is Daniela! Daniela is a bright and determined fifth grader. A natural leader at heart, Daniela is committed to helping others and leading fun group activities during her free time here at Pro Kids. During homework hours, you can find her lending a helping hand in subjects like Math, English and Spanish. Not to mention, her writing skills are excellent. Her kindness and patience shine bright both in the learning center and on the golf course. When she’s not at Pro Kids, Daniela enjoys spending her free time having fun with her family – especially her little brother – and her friends. Thank you, Daniela, for being an amazing member at Pro Kids, you are a superb friend to your peers and your kindness is appreciated. Keep being the shining star you are!  

Members of the Month – September 2021

Tyler City Heights Member of the Month
  Our member of the month is Tyler! Tyler has been a member of the program since 2019. In that short time he has worked his way up to a Level 4 Member. He is a junior in high school and is looking forward to playing on his school’s golf team. Tyler has worked hard all summer on his game, golfing 5-6 times a week. It’s clearly paid off! Outside of spending his own time on the course, Tyler also spent much of the summer volunteering in golf classes where he’s served as an incredible role model to the younger members. When not golfing, Tyler enjoys crushing chicken wings and watching a good Marvel movie. Thanks for all of your hard work Tyler!    
Kieran Oceanside Member of the Month
  Oceanside’s Member of the Month is Kieran! Since returning to Pro Kids, Kieran has been a huge part of the program. She participated in a Summer Camp Internship all this summer and was a huge help with arts and crafts, outdoor games, golf, field trips and overall youth supervision. Summer camps would not have been the same without Kieran’s hard work! Kieran has a warm personality, is kind to everyone she meets and is a team player with a quirky sense of humor that we all enjoy. On her free time, Kieran enjoys sewing and even makes Raggedy Anne and Andy dolls for her friends and family. Truly impressive! Congratulations on being member of the month!  

Pro Kids are Champions For Youth Champions!

Pro Kids | The First Tee of San Diego are Champions for Youth Champions

San Diego, CA. – For the sixth year in a row, Pro Kids| The First Tee of San Diego participated in the Champions for Youth Program, and for the fourth time in Champions For Youth history, finished in first place, raising more than $250,000 to empower local students to excel on and off the golf course. Champions For Youth is the primary charitable program of San Diego’s premier PGA TOUR event, the Farmers Insurance Open. Champions For Youth is the primary charitable program of the Farmers Insurance Open. The program is a collaboration between Farmers Insurance and the Century Club to positively impact 10 San Diego charities that support at-risk and underserved youth and their families. The charities use the platform of the tournament to fundraise and increase awareness of the issues these organizations serve. Most notably, this year Champions For Youth helped charities focus on growing and maintaining their donor base, and Pro Kids saw an increase of over 100 percent based on previous Champions for Youth campaigns, thanks to the strategic peer-to-peer format of this years’ competition, and dedicated board members, staff, parents, volunteers, and donors. With the support of these gracious parties, Farmers Insurance and The Century Club, over 700 kids throughout San Diego will have continued, year-round access to over 2,500 hours of golf and life skills education at no cost. “We are proud that the Champions For Youth program has so positively impacted Pro Kids | The First Tee of San Diego, and in turn the youth they serve,” said Peter Ripa, CEO of the Century Club of San Diego / Farmers Insurance Open. “We look forward to seeing the resources and awareness generated through this year’s program support their mission now and long after the last putt drops at the Farmers Insurance Open.” The mission of Pro Kids is to challenge underserved youth to excel in life by promoting character development, life skills, and values through education and the game of golf. For more information, please visit https://www.thefirstteesandiego.org.  

Pro Kids’ Norman Xiong Making Headlines

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Norman has played in two National Championships with the University of Oregon and became the youngest player in history to represent the United States at the Walker Cup. He went on to lead the United States Team to a 19-7 victory with his stellar play (3-0-1) at Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course this year. Pro Kids is very proud to see Norman excel on and off the course. We know there are big things ahead for him. Check out Norman’s story and success by clicking the links below:

 
 

Bringing the PGA Junior League to Pro Kids

This summer, for the first time ever, Pro Kids | The First Tee of San Diego will have teams competing as part of the PGA Junior League (PGAJL)! PGAJL provides a fun, team-oriented experience that will give our members a taste of competitive golf. It’s also a place where many of the best golf professionals in the world got their start.
Pro Kids 2017 PGA Junior League Teams
Members of our first-ever Pro Kids PGA Junior League team in City Heights!
Pro Kids entered two teams to compete for the PGAJL championship this season, one for our City Heights site and one for our Oceanside site. Each team has 12 Level 3 and Level 4 members who have shown a special interest in golf and represent the communities that we serve. Our goal is to have two teams per site next season!

How It Works

Members will compete as a team in a two-player scramble format, playing 9-hole matches against kids from other golf courses in San Diego. Each team member gets a numbered jersey with his or her last name on the back. Scoring consists of a cumulative point system of all matches happening at the same time, much like the Ryder Cup. Teams are split up into four groups of three players each, allowing for substitutions during the match. Everyone plays a minimum of six holes per match. More information about the PGAJL competition format is available here.

Graduating from the Par 3 Course

One objective of being part of the PGAJL is to give our Pro Kids members an opportunity to play regulation-size golf courses earlier in their Golf & Life Skills program. Many of our Level 4 members have yet to play on a regulation golf course, limiting the types of events they could participate in. In addition, the team-oriented format allows team members to further develop their social skills and build long-lasting friendships with their peers. In order to be successful in the League, Pro Kids members must learn how to work together and play off one another’s strengths.

All Thanks to Carini Heating and Air Conditioning

Pr Kids Board Member Gabriel Carini and his company, Carini Heating and Air Conditioning, continue to come through for Pro Kids by stepping up with $5,000 to sponsor the Pro Kids PGAJL teams. THANK YOU! Because of this, we’re able to offer this formative life experience at absolutely no cost to our members. Please donate today to so that we may build upon this investment and continue to offer PGAJL participation to more of our members in the future.

Summer College Road Trip

College road trip From July 13th through July 16th, six high school members from our Oceanside and City Heights campuses attended the Pro Kids College Road Trip! During the trip, members visited CSU Fullerton, UC Irvine, CSU Long Beach, Chapman University, and UCLA. Aside from touring the campuses, members got the opportunity to look at housing options and surrounding areas. While at the universities, our members learned about the requirements necessary to attend, such as SAT/ACT testing, extracurricular activities, and average GPA.

Pro Kids Has Strong Showing at IMG Junior World

Junior World From July 12-15, 13 Pro Kids members competed in the IMG Academy Junior World Championship. In its 49th year, the tournament featured 1,200 elite youth golfers from 42 U.S. states and 56 countries competing at top golf courses throughout San Diego County (including Pro Kids’ very own Colina Park Golf Course, which hosts the 6 & Under division). Pro Kids was very well represented at this event with notable finishes from Ian Maspat who finished T-8 in the 11-12 division on the Oak Glen Course at Sycuan Resort, and Norman Xiong who finished in solo 6th place in the 15-17 division on the South Course at Torrey Pines.

Pro Kids at Cypress Point

Monterey Trip 2016
From July 25-28, eight Pro Kids members got an opportunity of a lifetime: to play Cypress Point Club, one the most exclusive golf clubs in the world, as part of our annual Monterey Trip. With a highly competitive selection process, Pro Kids requires its nominated members to prepare applications and interviews in order to make the cut for the trip. Their golf skills are also tested to make sure they can live up to the challenge. On this adventure, our kids go on to build life-lasting relationships with donors and staff members that help them set goals for their future.

Andrew Holets Hired as CEO

Pro Kids | The First Tee of San Diego welcomes Andrew Holets as its new CEO. Holets brings significant leadership and fundraising experience, having most recently played a key role in the opening of the Copley-Price Family YMCA in City Heights, where he served as director of community outreach and development. “Pro Kids’ mission inspires me through its commitment to creating opportunities for all youth,” said Holets. “Pro Kids is not only breaking down barriers to educational and sporting resources, but also providing skills that help kids become better people for the rest of their lives.” Previously, Holets was instrumental in strengthening the City Heights-focused nonprofit Access Youth Academy. He also served in the United States Peace Corps in the Republic of Kazakhstan as an Organizational and Community Development program volunteer and worked in military communities in Germany with the Department of Defense. A graduate of Albright College with degrees in political science and communications, Holets has studied at the University of Pennsylvania Fels Institute of Government and is currently completing his graduate degree in Nonprofit Leadership and Management at the University of San Diego’s School of Leadership and Educational Sciences. “My goal as Pro Kids’ CEO is to strengthen the impact of our programs, our relationships within the San Diego community, and our appeal to donors and volunteers,” said Holets. “I’m inspired daily by the accomplishments and tenacity of our kids.” “We are excited about Andrew’s passion for servant leadership and experience building youth development programs,” said board president Bill Fontana. “His capacity for strategic thinking and team building will serve the organization well.” Holets and his young family reside in Mid-City San Diego.