Howie Tiger
On March 12, PebbleCreek held their Ninth Annual Golf Equipment Drive to support First Tee – Phoenix. Donations were accepted at Tuscany Falls in the parking lot just outside the Pro Shop.
Mike Bergeson, Director of Education of First Tee – Phoenix, said, “It is great to have the support of communities like PebbleCreek to help us continue our mission to positively impact the lives of youth in the Phoenix Valley.”
Hundreds of households made donations. We filled a truck to the roof with donated golf clubs, golf bags, and push carts that will 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 Pebble News. Thanks to Bill Kyle and the PC Patrol staff. Thanks to the presidents of several golf associations: Lorene Greer, Judy Newell, Ray Clements, Kurt Eleam, 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 Scott and Tammy Carnahan, Vic VanHorn, Jack Schafer, Chuck Veltri, Mike Dinan, Douglas MacNeil, Todd Henne, Howie Tiger, and Rob Kraft. Super special thanks to Rob who worked the entire Drive plus clean-up efforts after the Drive!
They and First Tee staffers Greg Hall, Jamie Brewington, Mike Bergeson, and Scott Johnson exhibited unrelenting energy! It was just an incredible effort handling all the donations, and 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.