As we mentioned in the first of our FORE! Reasons to Give stories, we talked about First Tee – West Michigan’s mission. Impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character and instill life-enhancing values through the game of golf. We strive to reach kids and teens of all backgrounds, no matter race, gender, or income level. While we have had many successes reaching thousands of kids and teens over the past ten years, there’s always more that we can do. Especially for those that are most at-risk. To help us reach those families most at-risk that truly can benefit from our programs and values, we are looking to hire a Parent & Participant Communications Intern for each of our four communities.
By The Numbers
Grand Rapids
Total Participants: 771
Percentage of students on scholarship: 39%
Holland
Total Participants: 226
Percentage of students on scholarship: 21%
Kalamazoo
Total Participants: 347
Percentage of students on scholarship: 34%
Muskegon
Total Participants: 273
Percentage of students on scholarship: 48%
We had a record number of students in 2021, and are so excited to have many new faces around our programs! While the percentage of our students on scholarship is significant, we truly believe that we can do so much more for these at-risk students. The life skills and lessons our programs provide these students can make a big impact on their lives.
Where the Parent & Participant Communications Intern Comes In
Over the last year, we have found that retaining our most at-risk students is an area in which we can vastly improve. This season, we had a total of 30 partnerships across all four of our communities. These partnerships are where we help so many of our at-risk students, introducing them to our values and the game of golf. While we reach a lot of students in these programs, a big problem we have been facing is retaining these students and transitioning them into our programs at other golf courses. Here is where we believe the Parent & Participant Communications Intern can make a huge difference.
The primary role of this internship will be to contact our at-risk families and enroll their kids and teens into our classes. We have found over this past season that part of the issue with retaining our scholarship families is communication. Historically, communication with all of our families when registration is available is through email and social media. While this is an effective tactic that reaches most of our participants’ families, it lacks that personal touch. The Parent & Participant Communications Interns will help break this barrier by personally reaching out to all of our scholarship families, ensuring that they are aware of the programs we offer while helping them register their kid or teen!
How You Can Help
Here is how you can help. To offer this internship for each of our communities, we need to raise the funds to find the right candidates to fill these roles. This internship will play a large role in increasing the number of scholarship students in our programs so we can make a difference with those that need it most! Will you help us reach our year-end goal so we can continue to serve those that need it most?