February 17, 2020 - Kevin Terry, Executive Director of the non-profit First Tee organization, described his past experiences and the key elements of First Tee.
Kevin told us about his interest in professional sports and his experience with several organizations, including 6 years with the Phoenix Suns. He has been the Executive Director of First Tee for the past 6 years. First Tee works with kids from 7 to 17 to teach them life values as well as golf. There are 17 courses in the Valley that host this program. Each segment involves two 1-hour sessions per week for 8 weeks. The kids take certification tests which allow them to move up to various levels.  Kids can earn scholarships and donors often sponsor kids.  The cost is $135 dollars per year. There are 1700 kids in the Valley participating in this program and Kevin estimates that over 100,000 kids in the Valley have been impacted by the program. There are over 700 volunteers in the Phoenix area that sponsor and/or work with the kids. This is an impressive organization that helps young people develop their life-value skills, such as honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy, and judgment. First Tee's moto is enriching lives one round at a time. Participant ethnicity is 52% White or Caucasian, 14% Black or African-American, 19% Latino or Hispanic, 6% Asian, 8% Multi-Racial, less than 1% Native American or Native Alaskan, less than 1% Pacific Islander. Readers are invited to check out their excellent website.