Amazing volunteers, left to right: Greg Hall, Neil Straessle, Kurt Fischer, Rob Kraft, Howie Tiger, Wade Biddix, Jack Schafer, and Todd Henne. Not pictured: Tammy Carnahan and Greg Stec
Howie Tiger
On March 6, PebbleCreek held their eighth annual Golf Equipment Drive to support First Tee—Phoenix. Donations were accepted at Tuscany Falls in the parking lot just outside the Pro Shop.
From Erin McDonough, Executive Director of First Tee—Phoenix, “PebbleCreek continues to amaze me. Wow, your efforts will undoubtedly make a difference in the lives of a lot of kids!” Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Hundreds of households made donations. We filled a 20’ truck to the roof! These donated golf clubs, golf bags, and push carts will definitely be put to good use for the numerous participants in the program and help support the overall operation. As usual we had a big push for golf balls. Used ones can be converted to cash and new ones can be used by the kids. We collected thousands of golf balls and filled the First Tee van!
There are many people to thank for making this drive a success. Thanks to Priscilla Wardlow, HOA website administrator, for posting information on our community website and PebbleNews. Thanks to the presidents of several golf associations: Kittie Day, Suzanne Butler, Louis Beaulieu, Jack Stipp, and Randy Grauerholz for communicating to their respective golf groups. Thanks to Kyle Metzler and Ronnie Decker, and both Pro Shop staffs for promoting the drive via announcements and responding to inquiries, etc.
Special thanks to our volunteers Kurt Fischer, Wade Biddix, Rob Kraft, Jack Schafer, Todd Henne, Neil Straessle, Tammy Carnahan, and Howie Tiger. Also, thanks to Skip Holmes in our clean-up efforts. They and First Tee staffers Greg Hall and Greg Stec exhibited unrelenting energy! Just an incredible effort handling all the donations. It was a steady pace of donors for four straight hours. Their work was truly appreciated.
And finally, thanks to John McCahan for his commitment and support to this annual project. The Golf Blasts really helped spread the word amongst the golf community.
First Tee is a national organization whose mission is “To impact the lives of young people by providing programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values, and promote healthy choices through the game of golf.” They promote nine core values: Courtesy, Respect, Judgment, Responsibility, Sportsmanship, Confidence, Honesty, Integrity, and Perseverance. The Phoenix chapter is one of the largest in the country with 15 sites in the Phoenix metro area. Close-by sites include Wigwam and Desert Mirage.
For those who want to donate but missed this event, you may contact First Tee—Phoenix at 602-305-7655 for drop-off details.
To learn more about First Tee—Phoenix, please visit firstteephoenix.org. It’s a terrific organization, and we are always looking for volunteers.