Selection recognizes strength of The First Tee of East Lake
Four teen golfers from The First Tee of East Lake will soon travel from Atlanta to St. Andrew’s, Scotland, for the trip of a lifetime. Along with The First Tee’s Director, Nyre Williams, these exceptional young athletes will visit the birthplace of golf and meet youth from golf programs in Fort Worth, Northern California, Kenya and Scotland. They will play golf, tour the area and travel to Lancashire, England, to attend one day of the Women’s British Open.
The trip has been organized by New Links, a Scottish charitable organization whose mission is to provide life-changing experiences for children through international travel, education and golf. New Links selected The First Tee of East Lake because of its reputation as one of the strongest junior golf programs in the United States.
Local participants, who were selected because of their success both on the golf course and in the classroom, include:
· Martavious Adams, a rising sophomore at DeKalb County’s Cedar Grove High School;
· Miles Goldman, a rising senior at Rockdale’s Salem High School;
· Tyler Lawrence, a rising senior at Atlanta’s Grady High School; and
· Kelly Willis, a rising senior at Hiram High School in Paulding County.
The First Tee of East Lake is among only two of the 207 chapters of The First Tee to be invited to participate in this prestigious program.
“It is a distinct honor for The First Tee of East Lake to be selected,” said Williams. “Our students are eager to compete with and learn from outstanding young golfers from the United States, Kenya and Scotland, while proudly representing our home city of Atlanta.”
About The First Teeof East Lake
The First Tee of East Lake (www.firstteeeastlake.org) is a year-round golf instruction and life skills program of the East Lake Foundation that uses the principles of golf – discipline, hard work and integrity – to enhance the academic achievement of children from Atlanta’s East Lake neighborhood. The program helps open doors to colleges, scholarships and job opportunities. The First Tee of East Lake serves children and teens, ages 5-18, who attend East Lake’s Drew Charter School (www.drewcharterschool.org) or live in the East Lake neighborhood. More than 1,500 East Lake children have participated in the program since 1998.
About the East Lake Foundation
Founded in 1995 on the belief that everyone deserves a chance to succeed, the East Lake Foundation (www.eastlakefoundation.org) collaborates with public and private organizations to provide tools that enable Atlanta’s East Lake residents to build a better future through education, affordable housing, recreational opportunities and connections with the broader community. This approach to building a strong community not only helps break the cycle of poverty, but creates a place where people of all ages and incomes choose to live. East Lake has become a model for holistic community revitalization programs across the country.
About The First Tee
The First Tee (www.thefirsttee.org) is an initiative of the World Golf Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in St. Augustine, Fla., at World Golf Village, home of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Its mission is to impact the lives of young people by providing learning facilities and educational programs that promote character development and life-enhancing values through the game of golf. Since its inception in 1997, The First Tee has introduced the game of golf and its values to more than 2.9 million participants in 49 states and five international locations – Canada, England, Ireland, New Zealand and Singapore. Former President George H. W. Bush serves as honorary chairman.
For more information about New Links: http://www.newlinks.org/
