Title
To celebrate The First Tee of Central Ohio for their work at inspiring and motivating children.
Body
WHEREAS, The First Tee was established in 1997 to help shape the lives of young people from all walks of life by teaching them integrity, respect and perseverance through the game of golf; and
WHEREAS, in addition to learning fundamentals of the golf swing and the game, The First Tee Life Skills Experience was created to help young people prepare for success in high school, college and life; and
WHEREAS, the curriculum focuses on how to manage emotions, set goals, resolve conflicts, how to communicate with others, while teaching 9 core values: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, perseverance, courtesy, responsibility and judgment; and
WHEREAS, The First Tee also emphasizes the importance of mental and physical health imparting the importance of 9 health habits: energy, play, safety, vision, mind, family, friends, school and community; and
WHEREAS, of the nearly 7 million youth impacted by The First Tee, 73% report high confidence in their ability to do well academically, 82% felt confident in their social skills with peers and 57% credit The First Tee Life Skills Experience for helping to develop their soft skills; and
WHEREAS, the Central Ohio Chapter of The First Tee was founded in 1998 through a donation by the Morton Foundation and accepts children 6-18 years of age with a special emphasis on those who may not be able to play, due to financial circumstances; and
WHEREAS, each participant goes through six levels of the Like Skills Experience- TARGET, PLAyer, PAR, BIRDIE, EAGLE and ACE which encourages participants to explore and assess their abilities to meet national certification requirements; and
WHEREAS, what started as a concept to make golf more accessible to young people turned into an opportunity to develop core values and to learn life skills that are inherent in the game of golf now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS
That this Council does hereby honor and celebrate The First Tee of Central Ohio for enriching the lives of our youth, their families and the community.