2017 TFT Equipment Drive 1 – Drive workers, left to right: Larry Murray, Howie Tiger and Steve Straley
2017 TFT Equipment Drive 4 – Taking donations and sorting, left to right: Jane Richards, Larry Murray and Greg Hall
Howie Tiger
On Wednesday, March 22, PebbleCreek held their fourth annual golf equipment drive to support The First Tee of Phoenix. Donations were accepted at Tuscany Falls in the parking lot just outside the pro shop. We thought it would be difficult to match last year’s response which was absolutely fantastic. We were optimistic though, so we rented a U-Haul truck and planned on making just one trip instead of several trips using the First Tee van. We were wrong. We filled the truck twice! So many golf clubs, bags, balls, clothing and shoes. What an incredible turn out.
Our PebbleCreek residents are amazing. Over 250 households made donations. These donated items will definitely be put to good use for the numerous participants in the program and help support the overall operation. As an example, we collected over 20,000 used golf balls. The money raised from the sale of these balls will fund The First Tee college scholarship program.
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 the presidents of the four golf associations, Barbara Patrow, Monte Page, Lynn Pidcock and Jerry Monk for communicating to their respective groups.
Thanks to Dave Korba, Dave Vader, Ronnie Decker and both pro shop staffs for their assistance in accepting donations prior to the drive. Like past years, we could have filled one van before we officially started.
Special thanks to Larry Murray, Jane Richards, Tina Barrett, Shannon Karazuba, Steve Straley and TFT staffer Greg Hall for helping during the drive. It was a steady pace of donors for four hours straight, so their assistance was truly appreciated.
And finally, thanks to Jason Whitehill for his commitment and support to this project. The Golf Blasts really helped spread the word amongst the golf community.
The 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 Palm Valley and Desert Mirage.
For those want to donate but missed this event, you may contact The First Tee at 602-305-7655 for drop-off details.
To learn more about The First Tee, please visit www.thefirstteephoenix.org. It’s a terrific organization and we are always looking for volunteers.