The 2020 Challenge Cup was awarded to La Rinconada Country Club scoring 434 Points – the most of the 6 competing clubs. The real winners are the kids who will receive financial assistance from the $55,475 in donations. This support helps us to create a sense of belonging for all kids – no matter what walk of life. Thank you to all of the 181 donors that supported us!
The 2nd Annual Challenge Cup was an inclusive and friendly challenge between golf clubs benefiting First Tee – Silicon Valley (FTSV) to help us grow the game of golf while building game changers in our community. It was an opportunity for golf clubs to demonstrate their philanthropic spirit of giving back to a non-profit closely associated with their favorite past time.
This year we had 3 Golf Club head-to-head challenge matchups competing for the Challenge Cup. Click here for the official scoreboard results and roster of players.
La Rinconada 434 Almaden 410 took place on October 30th and raised $16,750
San Jose 363 Silver Creek 276 took place on November 24th and raised $8,625
Menlo 358 Sharon Heights 306 took place on December 3rd. and raised $30,100
All teams were encouraged to include men, women and seniors in their team tally. Each participant made a donation to benefit the FTSV. The format was a Point Par Scoring with 100% of Handicap — Net Par 1 point, Net Birdie 2 points, Net Eagle 3 points, and Net Albatross 4 points.
The aggregate of top 24 scores from each club determined their team score. The team scores were compared to rival club to determine each match up club winner. All money raised by both teams was donated to FTSV in the name of the winning club plus bragging rights! The team with highest overall score among ALL clubs was declared winner of the 2nd Annual Challenge Cup Perpetual Trophy! Congratulations to La Rinconada Country Club!
FTSV also rallied our own players using the same format as a team building event where coaches and participants from our three locations came together to represent FTSV. The match scoring 326 points was played on November 9th at the Golf Club at Moffett Field. There were 27 participants made up of 9 Ace level youth, 9 instructors, 7 volunteer coaches and 2 staff.
If your golf club wants to be a part of the 3rd Annual Challenge Cup, Contact Development Director, Judy Dixon Deaton to get started 408-508-4881 – [email protected].Kyle Brannan, La Rinconada’s Director of Golf
First Tee – Silicon Valley actively creates a space of belonging for every participant – no matter what walk of life. We help participants discover what’s inside of them, guide them to strengthen it, and mentor them to put it into action in everything they do. One way that we do this is through “coachable moments” – real-time windows of opportunity for participants to learn something very specific to what they are experiencing. Our team of mentors is key to making this happen.
2020 for all of its challenges has been one big “coachable moment” for First Tee – Silicon Valley and our team of mentors. Our team has leveraged this year’s challenges to strengthen our coaching infrastructure, expand everyone’s capacity as a mentor, and bond as a team.
Together, we streamlined and enhanced our lesson plans, and produced how-to and informative curriculum and training videos. We used the time to equip our mentors with additional coaching tools and safety strategies/procedures.
Knowing how to engage and build relationships with participants means we needed to continue to foster our teamwork from within, and 2020, despite its social interaction challenges, provided us with an opportunity to try something new. We explored Zoom team bonding activities including a fun Rice Crispy baking challenge and held a golf outing at Moffett Field Golf Course, celebrating and bringing together advance participants, paid instructors, and volunteer coaches. Through obstacles comes opportunities, the chance to come together and work together. Our coachable moment this year was how we rallied to create new website content, and new experiences that strengthen our team as positive mentors.
We often describe golf as the context, the learning lab, in which we teach our life skills curriculum. Golf is the Where and illustrates much of the What that we teach. Simultaneously, mentoring is the means, the delivery method, by which we teach. Mentors are the Who and How of our teaching.
2020 has been one big coachable moment for our mentors making them even more well-prepared to walk alongside our participants as their individual coachable moments arise. All of our added efforts in 2020 to grow stronger as a coaching team ultimately leads to a caring, trusting posture towards our participants and readiness to help them.
The events of 2020 have reinforced the need for programs like First Tee – Silicon Valley that lift up, support and empower kids to stand strong and grow during challenging situations. Our financial aid requests are at an all-time high.First Tee – Silicon Valley helps kids and teens discover what’s inside them, guide them to strengthen it and mentor them to put it into action in everything they do.
By integrating our life skills curriculum with the game of golf, we are creating active learning experiences that build inner strength, self-confidence and resilience, which is more important now than ever.
“First Tee – Silicon Valley has made me much smarter in thinking about my decisions. It reminds me how I want to treat people the way I want to be treated. That’s why I like the core value courtesy because everybody needs that in life. You want the same energy that you would give to other people.” – Jasmine Rumble, a freshman at Independence High School.
Your donation to First Tee – Silicon Valley allows us to continue our work to actively create a space of belonging for every kid – no matter what walk of life. Thank you for partnering with us to provide opportunities where our young people feel supported, safe and better prepared for anything that comes their way.
Explore the many ways to support us:
Caddy Club
Individuals who donate a $20+ monthly gifts or $250+ one-time gifts will become part of our Caddy Club and receive special thank yous and invitations to participate in donor appreciation events
learn about a variety of events and youth programs that are available to sponsor or underwrite
The Future Talent of Silicon Valley DBA First Tee – Silicon Valley is a nonprofit public benefit corporation (501 c3) – tax identification #46-3102278.
Coach Keith has been one of First Tee- Silicon Valley’s most consistent, long-time Program Instructors. He began in 2011 and has coached with us each and every year delivering the First Tee’s curriculum and mentoring hundreds of participants from the PLAYer level up to the Eagle level (1st to 4th levels). Several of the students he coached have enjoyed the experience he provided so much so that they returned to be coaches themselves.
According to FTSV President & CEO George Maxe, “Over the years, Keith has embraced the First Tee curriculum and expanded his capacity as a coach. As a result, he has taught PLAYer, Par, Birdie, and Eagle levels. We are fortunate to have him on our team.”
“First Tee,” says Keith, “is an all-inclusive place where you can be yourself, learn about yourself, and grow your character. It provides a venue to discover new or different ways of performing a task or reaching goals. It allows you to explore and develop yourself as well as cultivate new relationships and friendships. Coaching with FTSV has impacted me by opening my eyes to the core values we teach and how I use them in my daily life. It has made me aware of how many times I rely on those values. I have learned the value and importance of treating everyone with respect.”
In addition to coaching our golf and life skills, he took on a leadership role one year by coordinating our participant opportunities and assisting our upper level participants with their national participant opportunity applications and essays.
According to Program Director Chris Moreno-Hunt, “Coach Keith has been a staple of our organization for almost 10 years. In addition to reaching the top level of First Tee’s national coach trainings, he is always thinking of ways to improve the program, and is committed to mentoring and bringing the best out of his participants. We are thankful to Keith for elevating our program and for playing an important role in FTSV’s development.
Coach Keith’s experience and curriculum knowledge makes our program a better place. Thank you, Coach Keith!
If you would to learn more about joining our coaching team, click here to get started.
Amanda Flores has been in our program since 2016 excelling in our classes and making her way up to Ace (our highest level). She has recently completed all four Ace projects.
“Amanda is an outstanding student, she is determined, smart, respectful, and self-motivated. Our program is better with her involved as she leads by example and consistently demonstrates our Nine Core Values. Over the years she has become more self-confident and routinely pushed herself past her comfort zone. I am glad she began coaching with us this Winter as she is someone students should look up to.” shared Program Director, Chris Moreno-Hunt.
According to Amanda, “First Tee of Silicon Valley helped me discover methods to learn about myself and what I wanted when pursuing higher education. Over the years I participated, I saw the bonds the coaches shared with the participants and I’m at a point where I am now assisting First Tee by being what they were to me to the incoming students. I also carry this insight that has been provided by FTSV to school and the clubs I am involved in.”
Amanda is a high school senior at University Preparatory Academy in San Jose. In addition to her studies she is the Secretary of the Latinx club at her school, and volunteers at Sacred Heart Community Center passing out and preparing food boxes for those in need.
Currently she is in the process of applying to colleges where she hopes to attend a 4-year university. Her goal is to be a Professor and plans to major in Sociology with a minor in History or Latin-American studies. We wish the best for Amanda through her college application process and believe in her ability to shine in college and beyond. Thank you, Amanda, for making a positive impact on our chapter!
Are you interested in joining Amanda and taking a FTSV class? Please visit our Youth Classes Page
The 2020 Challenge Cup was awarded to La Rinconada Country Club scoring 434 Points – the most of the 6 competing clubs. The real winners are the kids who will receive financial assistance from the $55,475 in donations. This support helps us to create a sense of belonging for all kids – no matter what walk of life. Thank you to all of the 181 donors that supported us!
The 2nd Annual Challenge Cup was an inclusive and friendly challenge between golf clubs benefiting First Tee – Silicon Valley (FTSV) to help us grow the game of golf while building game changers in our community. It was an opportunity for golf clubs to demonstrate their philanthropic spirit of giving back to a non-profit closely associated with their favorite past time.
This year we had 3 Golf Club head-to-head challenge matchups competing for the Challenge Cup.Click here for the official scoreboard results and roster of players.
La Rinconada 434 Almaden 410 took place on October 30th and raised $16,750
San Jose 363 Silver Creek 276 took place on November 24th and raised $8,625
Menlo 358 Sharon Heights 306 took place on December 3rd. and raised $30,100
All teams were encouraged to include men, women and seniors in their team tally. Each participant made a donation to benefit the FTSV. The format was a Point Par Scoring with 100% of Handicap — Net Par 1 point, Net Birdie 2 points, Net Eagle 3 points, and Net Albatross 4 points.
The aggregate of top 24 scores from each club determined their team score. The team scores were compared to rival club to determine each match up club winner. All money raised by both teams was donated to FTSV in the name of the winning club plus bragging rights! The team with highest overall score among ALL clubs was declared winner of the 2nd Annual Challenge Cup Perpetual Trophy! Congratulations to La Rinconada Country Club!
FTSV also rallied our own players using the same format as a team building event where coaches and participants from our three locations came together to represent FTSV. The match scoring 326 points was played on November 9th at the Golf Club at Moffett Field. There were 27 participants made up of 9 Ace level youth, 9 instructors, 7 volunteer coaches and 2 staff.
If your golf club wants to be a part of the 3rd Annual Challenge Cup, Contact Development Director, Judy Dixon Deaton to get started 408-508-4881 – [email protected].
The Joyce Taylor Eagle Award and $4,000 Scholarship was presented to Nancy Rivera at the First Tee – Silicon Valley 2020 Invitational fundraiser on Sunday, October 18th at CordeValle in San Martin, CA. Nancy was selected based on her good character, community advocacy, academic achievement, and life-skill level.
The purpose of the award is to provide a high school student the financial hope of attending college. For Nancy, she is hoping to be the first in her family to attend college and this award she says, plays a big role in making her dream that much closer to a reality. The scholarship has been made possible by a very generous 9-year grant by PG&E several years ago. Thank you to all our Invitational supporters that help fund our programs: HP, NGR, Anheuser Busch, PhRMA, Altria, Sempra Energy, AERA, Intuit, CALA Association, Southern CA Edison, SAGA Foundation, Niemela, Pappas & Associates and CDA.
Nancy has been a participant of First Tee – Silicon Valley since 2017, has completed all 4 projects at the Ace level, and has taken more classes since 2017 than any other participant. She is a student at University Preparatory Academy in San Jose, CA and she is working on a plan to attend a 4-year university or college in the Fall of 2022.
In her speech (below) to the Invitational attendees, Nancy stressed the importance of carrying on and embodying First Tee values of giving back, and respecting diversity. She said, “This sport and program is very different from all the other ones I tried out because it included a little bit of everything. Yes, they help my golf game, but it is so much more… I am proud to be part of a group that promotes respect and appreciating diversity and provides tools on how to help and think of others. Respect is a BIG part of our daily lives, especially living in the Bay Area where we have a diverse community. Learning collaborative communication strategies has been a key takeaway that I’ve learned in this program and carried with me in my volunteering. I’ve learned what it means to truly actively listen and how listening involves asking follow up questions to better understand the perspectives of others…Being able to listen, show empathy, and understand the rest of your team are definitely characteristics of being a good leader, which is what FTSV wants us to be and what I want to be.”
Her extensive community service and leadership actions certainly backed up her message to the audience. At each table she passed out hand drawn golf balls for each attendee. The drawing was of a woman’s silhouette made up of different national flags holding a heart that had the word “Respect” in the middle. After her speech she received a standing ovation.
Joyce Taylor (1957–2010) was a woman known for her intelligence, warmth, and elegance. She graduated with honors (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Oklahoma (OU) in Norman, OK, with a Bachelor’s degree in journalism. Joyce became a highly successful and respected business woman and community leader with a long career in telecommunications. In 1997, she was promoted to Regional President, Bay Area, and then Senior Vice President, External Affairs-Northern California, AT&T, where she oversaw legislative, governmental and external affairs activities in Northern California. Joyce worked extensively with Bay Area business and community-based organizations. Her support of the Eagles at Rancho del Pueblo junior golf program was instrumental to its growth and success. In 2005, the program became First Tee – Silicon Valley to develop the character of youth through golf throughout Santa Clara County. Joyce’s support has helped to build a solid program that has reached over 80,000 youth from 2005 to 2020.
First Tee – Silicon Valley owes an enormous thank you to SAGA Foundation led by President, David Bartoshuk for their generous $110,000 donation to further develop FTSV programs in the Palo Alto-Redwood City area including at Baylands Golf Links. Their donations to FTSV now total $310,000 over the last three years. The SAGA Foundation assists nonprofits to work smarter, reach further, and have a lasting impact. They are committed to helping FTSV expand dramatically at Baylands for the benefit of Mid-Peninsula youth and the community.
David Bartoshuk, President – SAGA Foundation, says, “SAGA Foundation believes critical problems require bold actions through collaboration, open communication, and entrepreneurship. FTSV continues to be a touchstone of what can be accomplished through creative teamwork and the knowledge that together we can make positive, long-term progress.”
“David and the SAGA Foundation are showing incredible generosity towards and support of FTSV’s future at Baylands Golf Links and in the lives of youth throughout the Mid-Peninsula.” said FTSV President & CEO, George Maxe. “In addition to SAGA Foundation, we are actively partnering with the City of Palo Alto to make significant improvements to Baylands Golf Links so that FTSV can expand our footprint and public golfers can enjoy more practice area amenities. Also, we are eager to return to normal in 2021 and continue our particular collaboration with Redwood City Police Activities League.”
FTSV is very grateful to SAGA Foundation and looks forward to making progress at Baylands Golf Links and serving Mid-Peninsula youth.
The 2nd Annual Challenge Cup is an inclusive and friendly challenge between golf clubs benefiting the First Tee – Silicon Valley to help us grow the game of golf while building game changers in our community. It is an opportunity for golf clubs to demonstrate their philanthropic spirit of giving back to a non-profit closely associated with their favorite past time.
The Sharon Heights – Menlo Challenge Cup started on December 20, 2019 when 28 players from the two clubs played the first match. The event was contested at Sharon Heights and we raised over $16,000 for the benefit of First Tee – Silicon Valley. Sharon Heights won the inaugural match by a score of 201-159 in our unique aggregate point par scoring format.
This year we have 3 Golf Club head-to-head challenge matchups competing for the Challenge Cup:
La Rinconada 434 Vs Almaden 410 took place on October 30th and raised $16,750
Silver Creek Vs San Jose – November 24th
Sharon Heights Vs Menlo – December 3rd
*The Challenge Cup match-ups are organized by club members for members and may not be endorsed by a club’s Board of Directors.
All teams are encouraged to include men, women and seniors in their team tally. Each participant makes a donation to benefit the FTSV to register. The format is a Point Par Scoring with 100% of Handicap — Net Par 1 point, Net Birdie 2 points, Net Eagle 3 points, and Net Albatross 4 points.
The Aggregate of Top 24 scores from each Club determines their team score. The Team scores will be compared to rival Club to determine each match up Club winner. All money raised by both teams will be donated to FTSV in the name of the winning club plus bragging rights! The team with highest overall score among ALL Clubs is declared winner of the 2nd Annual Challenge Cup Perpetual Trophy!
We also assembled our own team using the same format as a team building event where coaches and participants from our three locations came together to represent First Tee – Silicon Valley. The match scoring 326 points was played on November 9th at the Golf Club at Moffett Field. There were 27 participants made up of 9 Ace level youth, 9 instructors, 7 volunteer coaches and 2 staff.
If your golf club wants to challenge another club, Contact Development Director, Judy Dixon Deaton to get started 408-508-4881 – [email protected].
The donations from the Challenge Cup will allow us to create a sense of belonging for all kids – no matter what walk of life. It will help us build the strength of character that empowers kids through a lifetime of new challenges by seamlessly integrating the game of golf with life skills.
Gabby has been one of our most reliable and effective coaches at First Tee – Silicon Valley. She is a Level II First Tee Trained Coach which means she attended two national coach trainings that helped develop and refine her coaching techniques.
Gabby began our program in 2010 and completed the Ace program which is our highest level. Upon her final certification, she began coaching in 2017 and has since coached hundreds of participants each year. Before COVID you would have found her at Baylands Golf Links during the weekdays and teaching up to 3 classes at Rancho Del Pueblo Golf Course on Saturdays.
“First Tee – Silicon Valley has always been like family to me,” says Gabby. “I grew up with First Tee and went from being a participant to a volunteer, to a coach. Coaching boosted my confidence in my communication skills and gave me a platform to be a role model for the youth. Go FTSV!”
In addition to her coaching, Gabby is currently assisting us in the office with marketing projects while pursuing her bachelor’s degree in graphic design at San Jose State University. When COVID hit she began working with our team to produce our safety videos, core lesson videos, certification guide videos, and golf course videos, all of which are featured videos for our coach training and education, and used as resources for our participants and guardians.
According to Program Director Chris Moreno-Hunt, “Gabby is counted on to serve many roles within our organization. She always rises to the challenge whether the it is to produce instructional videos, give speeches at fundraising events, mentor fellow coaches, coordinate outreach efforts, or empower and guide participants in class. She can do it all, and she does it all with efficiency and confidence. Every First Tee chapter and any organization would be fortunate to have Gabby on their team. Luckily for us, she is on our team and we are better for it!”
With coaches like Gabby, our participants are in good hands. Thank you Gabby!
If you would to learn more about joining our coaching team, click here to get started.
Registration for our Winter in-person classes opened November 4th. Since then over 190 participants choose to register with all but three of our 21 classes selling out.
Our upcoming Winter season will be our third in-person season since COVID-19 began. Last season over 160 students were able to participate in our first full 8-week season thanks to the hard work and diligence of our coaches and staff and to the dedication of participants and their parents/guardians.
This Winter we will be building on the momentum of the past two seasons to deliver our largest season since re-opening – still only 40% of our normal capacity. We are doing all that we can to serve as many participants as safely as possible.
Thank you to the 190 participants (plus those on the waiting list) for choosing to join us. We are truly grateful. Serving our community and empowering our youth with life and golf skills is what fuels the fire for our team and motivates us to deliver a successful, safe, and engaging program for all.
To learn more about our programs, or to register please visit our Youth Classes page.
Jonathan Tessmann has been in our program since the Spring of 2012 and was a part of the first class that participated in our grand opening of our Gavilan location in Gilroy. He recently certified at the Eagle level and is moving on to Ace, which is our highest level in the program. John is a sophomore at the Gilroy Early College Academy.
Aside from our certifying program, John has been assisting the Gilroy location as a volunteer and has been a trained mentor for the last three years. He also participated in our participant opportunities such as our seasonal tournaments, the practice squad, and our Go Green event where he assisted in planting multiple trees at Gavilan Golf Course.
According to John, “First Tee – Silicon Valley has meant opportunities to meet many great people, cultivate good values, and play my favorite sport. Without the First Tee, I would have never played golf. I will always be grateful for the positive influence the First Tee has had on my life.”
John spends his free time introducing the game of golf to fellow classmates who have never experienced the sport. Outside of golf he is an outstanding student and is the vice president of the debate club at his school. John is ambitious, focused, and curious to learn. Recently he has taken a serious approach towards researching colleges and has been working with one of his coaches on figuring out what type of college fits his interests and how to approach the process.
John is a leader in our program and we are excited for what his future holds.
Are you interested in joining Jonathan and taking a FTSV class? Please visit our Youth Classes Page.
