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In January 2005, the GCBAA's charitable arm changed its name from the Sticks for Kids Foundation to the GCBAA Foundation. This was done to better connect the Foundation to the GCBAA, and the GCBAA to the golf industry. In talking with people, both inside the golf development community and among the golf playing public, we identified a lack of awareness that Sticks for Kids programs were underwritten by the GCBAA.
We also saw the need to expand the focus of the Foundation to maximize its exposure and to assure that the GCBAA is widely portrayed in the most positive image through its benevolent activities. We feel strongly that this can be accomplished without compromising the original mission of the Foundation, which was to promote golf and the member companies of the GCBAA, by providing young people the opportunity to learn golf and the life values the game of golf represents.

To this end, the new Foundation has developed the following three-pronged approach:

    1. We will continue to develop and expand Sticks for Kids chapters nationwide. SFK has been the cornerstone of our work in the past and will continue to be so in the future. The Foundation will aggressively encourage GCBAA members to get involved in a local SFK program. The programs that flourish are those that have "hands-on" involvement from their sponsor members. We need to introduce more youth to the game of golf, both to increase the need for new and better golf courses and to generate positive values and fun experiences for under-privileged kids. Contact any Foundation board member or GCBAA staff member if you can make the time to make a difference.

    2. The Foundation will continue to fund a scholarship program. The Foundation board is developing a scholarship format to assist college students interested in working in the golf industry after graduation. We are working with colleges, scholarship administrators, and others with experience in similar programs to design a plan that will benefit and reward those students who will be the future of the GCBAA. The Board of Directors of the GCBAA Foundation will be providing more details on these scholarships and on how members can participate in the process.

    3. The Foundation board is committed to promoting the accomplishments of Sticks for Kids chapters, scholarship and grant success stories, and other positive community-oriented endeavors of the GCBAA and our membership. This can be achieved by using the Foundation's resources and status to develop case histories, position papers, and press releases. We are also looking at sponsoring clinics and exhibitions for youth, women, or beginning golfers at tour stops and other high-profile locations. We will be reaching out to other like-minded organizations to promote compatible golf causes that benefit the growth of golf. In short, the Foundation will clearly and loudly articulate the many benefits provided by the game of golf, and the features of the GCBAA membership to individuals, communities, and the environment.

GCBAA Executive Office
727 "O" Street, Lincoln, NE 68508
Tel (402)476-4444 Fax (402)476-4489