FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Ace
Foundation Wins Major Grant from United States Golf Association
Oakland
Program for Inner City Youth Tees Off for the Future
Oakland, CA February 19, 2004 – The Ace
Foundation today announced its fifth consecutive grant award from the United
States Golf Association. The
$15,000 award will be applied toward expenses for course and driving range
access, instructor wages, and a psychology graduate school intern to coordinate
life skills and leadership measurements for Ace Kids Golf programs.
Founded by Henry Loubet and Tom Williams
in 1998, Ace Kids Golf was created to introduce less-advantaged youth to the
game. The program was designed to
help keep kids off the street, and on the green.
Providing everything from transportation to equipment and instruction to
students age 9-17, Ace makes it easy for any youth-oriented organization to add
golf to its offerings at a very low-cost. In
just five-years over 1000 inner city youth in the Oakland area have benefited
through this highly successful service model.
“It’s about outreach and teamwork,”
explains founder Henry Loubet. “Seventy-five
percent of our participants are African-American, and we have almost 50 percent
female participation,” he adds. “Most
participants come from single-parent households and inner-city neighborhoods
that are hotspots for crime. We
introduce them to the safe, beautiful environment that golf courses offer and a
sport that teaches life-skills which extend beyond the game itself.”
Four levels of golf instruction are
offered directly through the Ace Kids Golf Center in Oakland, and through
partnerships with other youth organizations.
From the six-week introduction, also known as Ace Boot Camp, through
advanced instruction, the “Ace Club” mentorship program and pilot projects
including Golf in Education, Girls in Golf and Business and Golf, instructors
use an integrated approach to teach the basic fundamentals of the sport along
with core values of excellence, respect and dignity.
“We get the kids outside, doing rather
than watching,” founder Tom Williams explains, “and incorporate themes like
honesty, self-discipline, trust, patience and responsibility into our
instruction on the course.”
The program also teaches academic skills,
from mathematics to communications. Participants
learn to keep score and figure the distance from the ball to the green, and are
required to use proper terminology rather than slang - communicating in the
universal language of golf. Etiquette and respect are emphasized both on and off the
course, and students routinely interact with adult golfers and industry
professionals.
The benefit to students is evident.
“Through golf they learn to listen and to focus,” observes Ace
Executive Director and head instructor Jeff Callaway.
“We see student behavior, courtesy and sportsmanship improve over even
a two-week course of instruction.”
Ace is
currently conducting a major fundraising drive to support its after school and
summer programs in 2004. The cost
for each child is just $250. Cash
contributions and individual sponsorships are encouraged, and donations of
quality equipment, supplies and accessories are also accepted.
Organizations and individuals can contact Jeff Callaway at 510.238.2196
to make donations or learn more about participating in Kids Golf programs.
“An investment in Ace is an investment
in the future,” notes Loubet. “Golf
gives kids an outlet. It helps them
become winners, in life and on the course.”
About
Ace: The Ace
Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports Ace Kids Golf.
Its purpose is to ensure that less-advantaged youth receive a thorough awareness
of the game and its positive values, by providing them with a quality
experience. The program not only teaches the sport of golf, but teamwork,
cooperation, and the development of one’s potential.
Ace currently
serves youth from the City of Oakland’s 12 community recreation centers, as
well as local schools, YMCA and Boys & Girls Clubs. Golf Lessons are offered throughout the
year at Lake Chabot, Montclair, Gailbraith Driving Range and the Ace Kids Golf
Center.
To learn more about Kids Golf programs visit www.acekidsgolf.com, or call 510.238.2196. Send email to golfersinvisible@aol.com.