GCBAA FOUNDATION UPDATE

As everyone traveled back from the GCSAA Conference Trade Show / GCBAA Winter Meeting held in Orlando, Florida and settled back in and are gearing up for what looks to be a busy year again, I just wanted to recap quickly for those members that were not in attendance and could not join us.

Board Members

John Holmes Atlas Turf International Limited

Jimmy Kirchdorfer ISCO Industries

Bill Kubly Landscapes Unlimited, LLC

Rick Lohman The Toro Company

Allan MacCurrach III

MacCurrach Golf

Jon Truttmann (Board Liaison)

Hunter Industries

Tom Shapland Shapland Golf Consultants

Doug York Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply

While we did not hold a silent auction or have raffle items at this event, it was great to visit with so many members, friends, and familiar faces throughout the week. At our GCBAA General Membership Meeting, I had the honor of presenting the check donations from three of our partner programs. Please see the images below; Caterpillar, Inc./CAT Rent ($45,000), Sunbelt Rentals, Inc. ($23,000) and Travelers Haven/Hotel Engine $116,164.97). “Hats off” to each of you and your companies, as these programs would not be successful without your commitment. Thank you to the entire membership for the “Buy From Within” engagement and allowing us the opportunity to fulfill our Foundation mission and initiatives.

If you have any questions regarding the opportunities to participate in the Partner Programs, if you hear of any programs that may be worth checking into or have an interest in starting a Partner Program with your company, please contact GCBAA Staff. They are here to help!

I also wanted to share with you that I have been invited to represent the GCBAA and Foundation as part of a review committee. The American Golf Industry Coalition (AGIC) has been administering grants for several years and are currently in Phase IV of the Grassroots Grant Program (GGP). GCBAA and the Sticks for Kids Foundation have proudly supported this initiative. The program is designed to increase participation among those who are underrepresented in the sport. The GGP was developed by the Youth & Adult Player Development Work Group that was formed as part of the Make Golf Your Thing industry-wide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion movement. By respectfully serving this review committee, I will be joining and working alongside other industry leaders to help distribute these funds.

The AGIC shared that so far, the first three phases have served 48,130 participants, 80% non-white with an average household income of less than $75K. This is similar to the numbers, Sticks For Kids has targeted. The AGIC is also a great resource to help us deploy the remaining Sticks For Kids clubs in our inventory while at the same time supporting other Allied Associations who have partnered together with this initiative. The review process is underway, and we hope to report back in the next newsletter that many of the remaining 500 sets of clubs have been shipped and are ready for Spring programming.

You will also see in the allied updates section of this newsletter, the announcement of the upcoming launch of “Make Golf Your Career and My Golf Journey”. Exciting things in the industry are happening and we are extremely proud to be part of them. Stay tuned for additional information on that front!

And please, remember to “Buy From Within”; you benefit, the association benefits and most importantly, Sticks for Kids and the future of golf benefits as well.

Ellen Davis