Michael Pius,
MS, PGA ,
Executive Director, First Tee Upstate
Dear Upstate Golfers,
Thank you for your continued support of First Tee — Upstate South Carolina and the kids and teens that we now serve all across the Upstate! 2023 has been yet another record setting year for our chapter. and we are very excited for our future plans.
Our mission is to create experiences that are just as fun as they are meaningful, where kids feel excited to grow, safe to fail and better equipped for whatever comes their way next.
We provide the safe places with trained, caring adults to deliver programs that weave golf and character-building activities into each lesson.
We introduce the life-long sport of golf and our character education platform at golf facilities, elementary schools, and youth service organizations.
We will serve 799 kids and teens at our area golf course partners in 2023, which is a 62% increase since 2020!
Our girls participation is now over 40% for the first time ever, which is above the national average.
We have provided over $22,000 in financial aid to cover participation costs in our weekly programming, which is up nearly 150% over the past three years.
We now serve kids and teens in six of the ten counties that encompass the Upstate!
By the end of this school year, our school program will be in over 110 schools serving nearly 70,000 young people annually making our school program one of the largest programs per capita in the country.
We continue to create unique and impactful programs. One such program is our free Annual STEMLinks Summer Camp, which teaches participants the mechanics and physics behind the golf swing, explores the golf industry and the science behind the production of golf products, as well as discover the complexity of golf course design and construction.
We are so grateful for our partners, TopGolf, TaylorMade, Beau Welling Design, Matt Sharkey Instruction and OrangeWhip for their continued support of this program.
We also added two new full-time employees, Garrett Evert as Development Director and our Program & Development Coordinator, Grace Morgan. Garrett and Grace bring a wealth of experience and are working to support our growth, impact and partner relationships.
The game of golf continues to grow over the past few years, and we are helping by providing the kids, teens and their families a way to learn this game and the inherent values that it teaches.
We provide our participants an opportunity to be active, develop new skills, connect with peers and mentors, and navigate challenges.
We are grateful for your support over the years at our events, purchasing our Golf Passport, donating clubs and equipment and volunteering!
We could not do what we do without your support!This year we are eligible for a Challenge Grant from Charles Schwab.
Charles Schwab will generously contribute $29,000 to our chapter once we raise over $58,000 more than we did last year.
Our ask is that you consider First Tee — Upstate South Carolina for your holiday giving. Your donation could be matched 2 for 1 and will help us continue to serve our kids and teens!
Please visit our website http://www.FirstTeeUpstate.org/Donate or mail checks to:First Tee — Upstate South Carolina Attn: Michael Pius 3515 Pelham Road Suite 201Greenville, SC 29615.
We cannot do this work alone, so if you want to join our team of volunteers please visit, http://www.FirstTeeUpstate.org/Volunteer to learn how to make your impact on our young people.
For the Kids,
Michael Pius, MS, PGA Executive Director Greer, SC
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