The American Junior Golf Association announced the Veteran Golfers Association (VGA) as its Leadership Links ' preferred military charity.
Founded in 2009, the Leadership Links program allows the AJGA to further its mission to help develop young men and women by teaching charitable-giving skills and service-oriented practices at an early age. Nearly 3,000 AJGA junior golfers have participated in Leadership Links since 2009, supporting more than 2,100 charities and raising a total of more than $2.4 million.
Through Leadership Links, juniors raise money for a charity of their choice along with the AJGA’s Achieving Competitive Excellence (ACE) Grant , a financial reimbursement program which provides access to a competitive schedule helpful in pursuit of a college golf scholarship. Since 2003, more than 2,000 talented young men and women have turned more than $4 million dollars in reimbursements into $15 million in college scholarships.
For junior golfers who select the Veteran Golfers Association as their Leadership Links charity of choice, proceeds will be split between the ACE Grant and the VGA. The VGA portion will receive matching gifts to ensure every dollar raised benefits military families.
The Veteran Golfers Association is honored to be recognized by the AJGA as its national military partner. We look forward to welcoming more junior supporters to our VGA family and helping the AJGA raise awareness for its world-class ACE Grant program.
The VGA is dedicated to enriching the lives of veterans and their families through the sportsmanship and camaraderie of golf. Active duty, retired and honorably discharged members of the armed forces and their families have the opportunity to grow more active lifestyles, build stronger bonds and develop through golf. With several flights of competition, the VGA annually hosts more than 250 local tournaments across the country, culminating in the VGA Championship.
A number of AJGA players are current official VGA Junior Ambassadors including Alexa Pano of Lake Worth, Florida, Tommy Morrison of Pinehurst, North Carolina, and Jay Brooks of Boca Raton, Florida.
“I support the Veteran Golfers Association because it’s great to give back to those who gave so much for us,” Pano said. “The veterans, they are super amazing people and I’ve loved getting to know them.”
Beyond the satisfaction of serving people who’ve devoted their lives to protecting our citizens, the Veteran Golfers Association offers a few incentives to select this charity:
- Matching funds
- Top overall fundraiser invited to Tuesday for the Troops at the Masters (minimum $5,000 raised)
- Top three fundraisers invited to the 2019 VGA National Championship (minimum $3,000 raised) on October 27 - 30, 2019 - includes three rounds of golf at the Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, as well as player lodging and food complimentary.
Sign up for #LeadershipLinks and get more information on the Leadership Links Website or contact Beth Dockter at bdockter@ajga.org .