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USGA, AJGA Name 2006 President’s
Youth Leadership Award Recipients |
Katrina Delen-Briones, Adam Michel rewarded
for exemplary community volunteerism |
Katrina Delen-Briones, of San Francisco,
and Adam Michel, of Orinda, Calif., were named the inaugural
President’s
Youth Leadership Award recipients, the United States Golf Association
and American Junior Golf Association announced.
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This award was created to recognize one
boy and one girl junior golfer who demonstrated leadership,
character and community service through their involvement with
the USGA • AJGA Youth Leadership Club – a
joint initiative founded in 2005 to further develop junior
golfers through volunteerism.
Delen-Briones and Michel will be honored and formally presented the award by
USGA President Walter Driver during the Rolex Dinner of Champions Friday, July
8, 2006, during the Rolex Tournament of Champions at Hiwan Golf Club in Evergreen,
Colo. Additionally, they will each receive four tickets to the 2007 U.S. Open
being held at Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa., access to the USGA hospitality
tent during the U.S. Open, and an automatic entry into the 2006 Rolex Tournament
of Champions - one of the most prestigious junior golf events in the country.
Delen-Briones, 16, came to the United States from the Philippines in 2003. After
learning to play from her father and a local professional in her home country,
she joined The First Tee of San Francisco when it opened in the Spring of 2004.
Since then, she has made the facility her home away from home, compiling more
than 400 hours of community service.
“We have asked Katrina to do a lot when it comes to representing the ‘best
of The First Tee of San Francisco,’ and she has always performed with grace,
perseverance, and poise beyond her years,” First Tee of San Francisco Program
Director Judith Powell wrote in her letter of recommendation. “Whether
it is giving a speech to our large donors or licking envelopes for a 1,000-person
mailing, Katrina is always available and smiling.”
When at The First Tee Facility at the Harding Park Golf Complex, Delen-Briones
can be found doing activities from administrative work to mentoring younger players
learning the game for first time. She has represented the chapter at the National
Life Skills Academy and won the award for the student who best personifies the
Nine Core Values of The First Tee Program both on and off the golf course. Last
year, she participated in the Wal-Mart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach. Paired
with PGA TOUR Player Jay Haas, the tandem tied for third.
“Helping kids reach their goals is a small but great way to help our community,” Delen-Briones
wrote in her application letter. “My experiences at The First Tee make
it easier for me to share with the kids the real importance of The First Tee:
to help kids become better people and better golfers.”
Michel, 17, was given the President’s Youth Leadership Award through his
tireless efforts at The First Tee of Contra Costa at the Diablo Creek Golf Course
in Concord, Calif. He became involved with the program after reading about it
online shortly after it was founded in the Fall of 2004. Since then he has become
one of this First Tee Chapter’s best fund-raisers.
Initially, Michel volunteered as a weekly instructor during clinics, but quickly
realized the facility needed better equipment for the juniors in attendance.
With the approval of the chapter’s Executive Director, Victor Morris, Michel
staged two successful equipment donation drives at two private golf facilities
in Northern California. These drives garnered $7,500 in clubs and bags for The
First Tee of Contra Costa.
Last year, Michel’s high school had a program in place to offer grants
to its students’ community service projects. His proposal to help the Life
Skills Program fund equipment and pay for additional staff training resulted
in a $750 grant.
Perhaps Michel’s most impressive contribution is his latest endeavor – a
recently published “how-to” pamphlet that describes the many ways
junior golfers can get involved in community service and fund raising. The handbook,
which includes information on how to organize a donation drive, find grants,
write grant proposals, handle an interview, and hold a fund-raising event, has
been copyrighted and donated to The World Golf Foundation, Inc., for its use
in promoting teen volunteerism within First Tee chapters.
“Volunteerism is critical to the future of golf,” Michel wrote in
his application. “By teaching kids from all kinds of backgrounds about
the game, and making courses and equipment accessible, a whole new generation
of players will develop. Through volunteers and programs like The First Tee,
golf’s continued growth will be assured.”
The USGA, golf’s governing body in the United States and Mexico, works
closely with the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland, to produce
a uniform code of Rules of Golf that are observed worldwide.
The organization’s most visible role, however, is played out each season
in conducting 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s
Open, and U.S. Senior Open. The other 10 national championships are exclusively
for amateurs, and include the U.S. Junior Amateur and the U.S. Girls’ Junior. |
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