2023 PGA REACH CNY Annual Report

2023 Annual Report

TABLE OF CONTENTS

3: Words from our Chairman

13: Military

4: Words from our President

16: Diversity/Inclusion

5: Board of Governors

6-7: PGA Reach CNY Pro-Am’s

18: Section Scholarships

20: Foundation Sponsors

8: Founding Pillars

9: Youth Golf

22: Donor Levels

Words from our Chairman

I hope everyone had a happy & healthy offseason. With the mild winter, a few of us have had a little shorter offseason! This Annual Report will show how far we have grown in a short period.

I need to thank Alan Seamans and Don Zorn and our entire Board. To take a page out of Coach Nick Saban’s playbook… ‘Get the right people on the bus and get those people in the right seat to be a successful team.’ Alan and Don did just that in putting our Foundation board together. As you will see, the current Board members stepped up to the plate and hit it out of the park.

We have seen a great amount of growth through our 3 pillars. This growth will only continue with your passionate engagement with PGA Reach CNY. We are excited to expand our third pillar, PGA Works, as we will bring on our first Works Fellow later this year. I hope you enjoy the report and what we have accomplished. We have changed lives in Central New York through PGA Reach CNY. I am honored to be the Chairman of the Foundation Board and I am looking forward to the year ahead.

-Nick Serafino, PGA

PGA Reach CNY Chairman

Words from our President

What started out as a vision two short years ago has transformed itself into our new reality. This new reality is inspiring. Golf is a game for all and the benefits are lifechanging. Our strategic focus and implementation of Jr. League Golf, PGA HOPE, and PGA WORKS have positively impacted our community's youth, military, and families from historically underrepresented backgrounds.

It has been a team effort from the very beginning. We relied on our good friends at Bond, Shoeneck & King to rework our by-laws and adopt new mission and vision statements. We created a transition committee to recruit a new slate of PGA REACH CNY Board of Governors. We executed a licensing agreement with the PGA of America. We re-filed all the necessary paperwork with the New York Department of State and moved our banking locally. We became laser-focused on our goals and objectives and hired Joe Tesori, PGA to serve as PGA REACH CNY's first-ever Executive Director.

While we have made great strides to get to this point thanks in large part to Don Zorn, the Board of Governors, and our PGA members there is still work to be done. I'm excited about this next phase and what it means for the local community as we continue to elevate our goodwill and connection to those who share our values.

,

Seamans, PGA

Alan Seamans, PGA President

Board of Governors

Nick Serafino, PGA Chairman

Karanya Aksornkoae Member

Linda Mulherin, PGA MP Member

Eric Schuster Member

Nichole Wall Member

Rick Keding, PGA Member

Andy Myers, PGA Vice Chairman

Eileen Pezzi Member

Will Weimer, PGA Member

Brittany Wowelko, PGA Treasuer

Ryan McGinnis, PGA Member

Erik Saroney Member

Don Zorn Member

2023 PGA Reach CNY Pro-Am

‘The Golf Experience of a Lifetime’

First PGA REACH CNY Fundraiser

May 18, 2023

16 Teams

Irondequoit CC

$83,000 Raised

May 30, 2023

Bellevue CC

33 Foursomes

Over $20,000 raised

May 28, 2024 @ Bellevue CC

Founding Pillars

Military Diversity & Inclusion Youth

PGA Jr. League is the flagship youth pillar program of PGA REACH CNY to make golf accessible to all juniors in CNY. Participation in Jr. League has increased every season as the program enables children to experience the fun and teamwork of golf. Through Jr. League, girls and boys ages 17 and under learn and enjoy the game with instruction and direction from PGA of America Professionals & Associates.

PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is the flagship military program of PGA REACH CNY that introduces golf to Veterans to enhance their physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being. Led by local CNY PGA of America Professionals & Associates, it’s a proven therapeutic activity that has helped hundreds of Veterans across Central New York assimilate back into their communities. These programs are delivered throughout our section at no cost to the Veterans.

Golf is a welcoming sport for people of all backgrounds. PGA REACH CNY is dedicated to making golf more accessible to individuals of diverse backgrounds and abilities. The PGA WORKS Fellowship is one of the flagship programs of PGA REACH CNY. This fellowship aspires to be the most valuable entry-level employment opportunity for individuals from diverse backgrounds to garner experience in all facets of the golf industry. The golf industry’s workforce, including PGA of America membership, is demographically homogenous. The boards, senior leadership, and full-time staff are 95%, 97%, and 86% Caucasian, respectively. We are working to make the game of golf look more like our community.

Youth

PGA Jr. League is the flagship youth pillar program of PGA REACH CNY. We envision a world in which the PGA Jr. League is accessible to every child, everywhere, regardless of background or circumstance. We believe golf is for the collective, and everyone deserves to feel a deep sense of belonging to healthy and caring communities. Behind every PGA Jr. League team is a PGA Member or Associate

providing a safe, caring, and organized environment for every child to become (and stay) a golfer. These experts in the game are provided with the flexibility to create a coaching program that works best for their players and families.

The Numbers

375

Jr. League Players

24

Jr. League Coaches

40 Programs

Youth Golf National Impact

At Sunnycrest Park Golf Course in Syracuse, New York, an unlikely duo has stepped up to bring new players to the game. This past summer, PGA of America Golf Professional Sean Dadey and local P.E. Teacher and Coach, Erik Saroney used the Scholarship Fund to pilot a brand new PGA Jr. League Program serving 11 boys and girls in the Syracuse City School District.

“As a teacher and a coach, it’s truly a no-brainer,” says Erik. “The way PGA Jr. League so easily relates golf to other team sports is excellent and actually makes the game more inviting for those kids who wouldn’t normally have access to playing the game.”

The Central New York PGA Section staff is sustaining the vision and continuously growing more interest in the game of golf throughout Upstate New York. Section CEO, Alan Seamans says this program is bringing a new energy to the Section and ‘It’s just the beginning.’

Full Story Here:

www.pga.com/story/the-future-of-our-game-how-the-pga-jr-league-scholarship-fund-changes-lives

The Numbers

The CNY PGA Junior Tour was founded in 2000 and has continued strong for the last 24 years. The CNY PGA mission for our Junior Tour is to provide playing opportunities for advanced, intermediate, and beginning golfers, ages 9-18. These opportunities promote competition and community between players – ultimately creating lifetime friendships. These friendships continue after the Junior Tour and ultimately into future endeavors such as college and in the workforce.

Through the game of golf, we have instilled life skills of honesty, integrity, competitiveness, and camaraderie.

175 Junior Tour Members

16 Junior Tour Events

Drive Chip & Putt

The CNY PGA hosts multiple Drive Chip & Putt qualifiers during the season. Drive Chip & Putt is a free nationwide junior golf development competition aimed at growing the game by focusing on the three fundamental skills employed in golf.

The Drive Chip & Putt Championship is a joint initiative of the PGA of America, the USGA, and the Masters Tournament. The National Finals take place each year at Augusta National Golf Club on the Sunday before the Masters Tournament. Drive Chip and Putt is open to boys and girls ages 7-15. Boys and girls will compete in separate divisions in four age categories: 7-9 years old; 10-11 years old; 12-13 years old; and 14-15 years old.

Military

$20,025 Raised for Veterans

PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is the flagship military program of PGA REACH. PGA HOPE introduces golf to active military and veterans (including veterans with disabilities) to enhance their physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being.

407 Veterans

PGA REACH CNY recognizes the great contributions and sacrifices that men and women who are currently serving or have served in the military have made for our country. The program introduces the game of golf through a developmental 6-8 week curriculum, taught by PGA of America Professionals trained in adaptive golf and military cultural competency. All programs are funded by PGA REACH and supplemented so the cost of programming is free to all veterans. Since 2017, the PGA REACH CNY has run multiple PGA HOPE programs for both veterans and active-duty military each golf season at Turning Stone Resort Casino. In 2023, PGA HOPE programs were offered in Dicks Sporting Goods and House of Sports in Binghamton and Tioga Downs.

Now, through PGA REACH CNY Pro-Am fundraising efforts and donations, we will continue to support our current programs as well as expand into new regions throughout our section boundaries.

4 Programs

PGA HOPE Online Campaign

PGA REACH CNY successfully reached its goal during its 2023 Online PGA HOPE Campaign, raising $10,025. The campaign kicked off October 11th and ended on November 30th.

Since the PGA REACH CNY achieved its goal of $10,000, PGA REACH will be matching the $10,000 raised by the Section, giving the PGA REACH CNY a total of $20,025 for local programs!

$20,025 Raised

Keep an eye out for the 2024 online campaign in conjunction with Veterans Day 2024

Military

Having the opportunity to help those who have sacrificed everything for our freedom means the world to me. Our PGA Hope program at Turning Stone Resort Casino provides not only a golfing opportunity but an opportunity to reconnect with fellow military members through social interactions.

Every season I look forward to spending time, developing relationships and teaching the game of golf. A big thank you goes out to Turning Stone Enterprises for supporting the PGA Hope program.

-Ryan McGinnis, PGA Instructor of largest PGA Hope program in USA

Diversity and Inclusion

PGA WORKS is a strategic initiative designed to diversify the golf industry’s workforce. Funded by PGA REACH, the charitable foundation of the PGA of America, PGA WORKS leverages fellowships, scholarships, career exploration events, and the PGA WORKS Collegiate Championship to inspire and engage talent from diverse backgrounds to pursue key employment positions across the golf industry.

The PGA WORKS Fellowship is a 12-month, full-time contract with a PGA Section to be fully immersed in the responsibilities of a Section staff member. As a Fellow, you get to experience the work behind the scenes, player development programs, social media, marketing, tournament operations, and so much more. It is an initiative from PGA REACH to try and diversify the golf industry’s workforce.

In an effort to expand our reach beyond member tournaments, our Section introduced the Central New York PGA Women’s Association in 2020. The CNYPGAWA offers tournaments exclusive to amateur women golfers. The goal of the CNYPGAWA is to give players of all levels competitive opportunities and experiences. Last September, we held our 4th annual championship at Oneida Community GC.

4th Annual CNY Women’s Association Championship

September 22, 2024

@ Oneida Community GC

Section Scholarships

The Central New York PGA congratulates this year’s scholarship recipients: Catherine Dadey and Sophia Ferris. The Section’s Scholarship Committee awarded both Dadey and Ferris $1,000 scholarships toward their education.

The Scholarship Program was created with the purpose of encouraging higher education goals for the children and grandchildren of Central New York PGA Members who have demonstrated a high level of academic achievement during high school or college.

Catherine Dadey

“I am extremely honored to have been selected for the CNY PGA Section Scholarship,” Dadey said. “This scholarship will be extremely helpful to me as I continue my academic career and hopes to study abroad in 2025 and hopefully will be lucky enough to play there.”

“This scholarship is a chance to ease the burden of paying for college while hopefully one day becoming a high school golf coach,” Ferris said.

Sophia Ferris

PGA HOPE Presenting Sponsor

PGA HOPE Presenting Sponsor

PGA HOPE Gift Sponsor

Below are sponsors that we wanted to recognize as a minimum gift donor of $1,000 in 2023

Bernard’s Custom Logo

Bellevue Country Club

Crestwood Golf Club

Cintas

Dick’s House of Sports

Don & Ellen Zorn

First Tee of Syracuse

IBEW Local 43/ NECA

Jim Lee Family

New Penn Golf Cart Rentals

New York Life

Owasco CC/ Casler Masonry

Ontario Investments, INC

Pat Kilmartin Family

Russel Czerw

Stone Creek Golf Club

Turning Stone Resort Casino

Tito’s Handmade Vodka

Upstate Foundation

Usherwood

Visions Federal Credit Union

Become a Sponsor for 2024

We are looking for YOU to help positively impact the game of golf!

Become a Foundation Sponsor

The PGA REACH CNY Partnership provides companies the vehicle to create community impact through the game of golf. By becoming a foundation sponsor, you will directly enhance our Foundations’ 3 Pillars of Programming: Military veteran support via PGA HOPE “Helping Our Patriots Everywhere,” engaging youth via PGA Jr. League and Jr. Tour, and promoting diversity and inclusion in golf via PGA WORKS.

Become a Foundation Sponsor

Love the game of golf? Have a desire to positive impact through the game of golf as a platform? We are looking for engaged civic and business leaders to join our growing group of Board of Governors to help us to continue “Positively impacting lives through the game of golf.”

$1,000