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PGA REACH CAROLINAS

IMPACT

REPORT & TRUSTEE INFORMATION

On behalf of PGA REACH Carolinas, we thank you for your interest and support. Carolinas PGA Junior Foundation, Inc. d/b/a PGA REACH Carolinas is the 501 (c)(3) charitable foundation of the Carolinas Section, PGA of America. Founded in 1916, the PGA of America is currently the largest working sports organization in the world with more than 30,000 men and women PGA Professionals The PGA of America operates some of the largest events in sports including the Ryder Cup, PGA Championship, Senior PGA Championship and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship

The Carolinas Section of the PGA of America (CPGA) is a group of approximately 2,300 PGA Members and Associates serving the needs of golfers across North and South Carolina and a small part of southern Virginia The Section was founded in 1923 and is the largest of the 41 Sections that make up the PGA of America.

PGA REACH Carolinas mission is committed to serving our communities and the future of golf through our three pillars – Youth, Military, and Inclusion. Trustee funding and advice is the underpinning of larger development and program initiatives. Each Trustee is respectfully asked to pledge or raise a $100,000 donation over the next four years. PGA REACH Carolinas Trustees will serve as leaders and advisors while also committing to PGA REACH Carolinas with your time. While your monetary support will be a tremendous asset, your efforts in growing our programming around the three pillars will be equally important

Each year during your four-year commitment as a PGA REACH Carolinas Trustee you will be invited to recognition events These events will include but are not limited to golf outings, dinner outings, programming and benefactor meet and greets These gatherings offer the opportunity for PGA REACH Carolinas staff to report on our progress, and for you to engage with program participants who have been impacted by your investment

PGA REACH Carolinas would sincerely appreciate your participation by becoming a PGA REACH Carolinas Trustee. We are confident that with your involvement and advocacy we will reach our objectives and continue to impact many more lives through the game of golf.

Sincerely,

Jeff Abbot CEO/Executive Director Carolinas PGA Section

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PROGRAMMATIC OVERVIEW

In 2023, our programs drastically impacted more lives, and continued to raise funding to help grow the game Through it all, the game continues to bring joy to thousands of golfers in the Carolinas

GROWTH AT A GLANCE

Youth – PGA Jr. League is committed to enriching lives through experiences that transcend the game of golf. In 2023, 3,260 girls and boys participated in PGA Jr. League in the Carolinas, with 81% of those being beginner or recreational golfers. The Carolinas Section was able to provide 523 children with scholarships and access to learn, play and love the game of golf Eight (8) local First Tee Programs are involved with PGA Jr League, as well as the SwingPals program in Durham, NC

Military

Veterans

– PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots

Everywhere) is creating a path forward for thousands of Veterans across the U.S through the game of golf. Since 2015, 3,600+ Veterans have come to the game of golf through PGA HOPE Carolinas progams For 2023 participants, 100% were persons with disabilities (physical or invisible wounds) In 2024, we plan to serve more than 1,280 Veterans through 60 total HOPE sessions

Diverse Communities & Inclusion – PGA WORKS is a program that offers access to individuals from diverse backgrounds whether by gender, age, race or color, national origin or ancestry, sexual orientation, disability, religion or Veteran status into the golf industry to gain experience in all facets of the golf industry. In 2017, the Carolinas launched a fifteen (15) month immersive position offered annually. In 2024, we will welcome our 8th PGA WORKS Fellow to the Carolinas PGA Family.

Access - PGA Places to Play is helping to re-imagine Gillespie Golf Course in its effort to revitalize Greensboro’s oldest municipal golf course with a prominent history during the civil rights movement. The $250,000 Legacy Grant was awarded to this project by the PGA of America in conjunction with the 2025 PGA Championship, to be played at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte in May 2025, and offers a lasting community impact to promote playing opportunities for all

Record participation of 3,259 junior golfers in the Carolinas for 2023

Of those 3,250, 81% identify as beginner or recreational golfers In 2023

523 scholarships granted to participating juniors

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PGA Jr. League is bringing friends, families, and communities together through experiences that transcend golf. PGA Jr. League is focused on providing a fun and competitive environment for 70,000 kids each year to learn and connect through golf. PGA REACH provides financial scholarships for girls and boys to join existing teams and is creating Opportunity Leagues to offer more comprehensive support including clubs, shoes, transportation, and more.

In 2023, PGA REACH piloted the Opportunity League program, and received significant support from key partners like PGA of America Golf Professionals, USGA Girls’ Golf, and the First Tee. Opportunity Leagues can be created in any community, and PGA REACH is already getting started in:

Dallas, TX

Aiken, SC

Miami-Dade County, FL

Central Mississippi

Durham, NC

Atlanta, GA

Saline, MI

Los Angeles, CA

Newark, NJ

The SwingPals program in Durham, NC is a fantastic example of these Opportunity Leagues at work. SwingPals' mission is to build a foundation of health and strong character in children facing adversity. SwingPals uses golf as a medium through which students develop mindfulness and selfregulation skills, empowering them to pursue their passion and fulfill their potential to create positive change in their community The program has now been experienced by more than 10,000 students since launching in 2009.

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Physical disabilities, post-traumatic stress, and other challenges resulting from service can make it difficult for Veterans to feel like they belong in civilian life. PGA HOPE is offering thousands of our service members a place where they can be and feel like themselves among a community of fellow Veterans.

PGA HOPE is the only adaptive golf program with the ability to scale nationally, providing even more opportunity for PGA of America Golf Professionals to bring to their facilities and impact to Veterans’ lives.

Through an MOU with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans are able to receive direct referrals to PGA HOPE as a form of therapy and wellness.

Led by PGA of America Golf Professionals trained in adaptive therapy and military cultural competency, PGA HOPE takes Veterans through a 6-8 week curriculum that covers all fundamentals from grip to playing nine holes and everything in between.

IMPACT STORY

THERE’S NO SHAME

in Veteran Colton Hensley’s Golf Game

STORY BY // JAY COFFIN

Colton Hensley is comfortable going anywhere the conversation leads during this nearly 50-minute interview. “I feel like I have a valuable story to tell people,” he said Hensley’s story is one with many emotional layers It begins with military service and evolves into deployment, tragedy, difficulty adapting to civilian life, drug addiction, jail time and an incredible rebirth thanks to family, sheer determination and a desire to get fellow veterans involved in golf. The 34-year-old Asheville, North Carolina native is an open book. He no longer feels any shame from his past He will answer any question with pure honesty, and with the help of his longtime girlfriend, Katrina, he will even fill in gaps and elaborate when certain questions become difficult to ask.

Hensley served as a Cavalry Scout in the Army for the 101st Airborne Division from 2009-13 While deployed in Afghanistan, he lost two of his closest friends from IED attacks – Sgt Justin Officer on Sept 29, 2010 and Cpl Loren Miles Buffalo on March 9, 2011. The survivor’s guilt was too much to handle. Hensley could not stop thinking about carrying the coffins for both Officer and Buffalo He remembers every painful detail of having to load them onto an airplane to be flown back home to the U S He was honorably discharged from the Army in 2013 and returned home to Asheville He had ACL and MCL replacement surgery on his left knee, and that was his entry into drug addiction. Hensley did anything he could to get his hands on painkillers He knew how to get as much as he could legally, while also buying drugs off the street from money he collected by selling stolen items

“I started hanging with the wrong people and before you know it, I was literally crawling through people’s windows to steal things to support my habit,” he said. He once was accused of stealing $12,000 worth of items from a house that included a laptop, camera, camcorder, luggage, and snowboarding gear Hensley was in and out of a jail, but in 2014 he relapsed, violated the terms of his probation, and was sent to federal prison for two years after being charged with felony breaking and entering, felony larceny and felony obtaining property by false pretenses Life behind bars was just as awful as it was on the streets The worst of his stay came after Hensley got into a fight and was sent to solitary confinement for a 45-day stint.

“I can’t say I was ever suicidal, but that was probably my lowest point ever,” he said “You have nothing to your name, no contact with the outside world and nothing but crazy thoughts going through your head the entire time ”

Although Hensley has no shame and guilt now regarding his past, he experienced plenty of it during his darkest days Hensley finally got out of prison in early 2016 and, although he had lost everything, burned bridges and ruined relationships with his family, he vowed to do better But several months later, he had another relapse. After getting pulled over, the officer noticed Hensley had prescription drugs in his possession Back to jail he went – only this time, it truly was the best thing that ever happened to him Kevin Rumley is the program director for the local Veterans Treatment Court (VTC), which uses a team approach to help support veterans facing non-violent felony charges. Rumley worked with Brooks Kamszik, a courtappointed attorney, and together they got Hensley out of jail and into an inpatient rehabilitation center at the VA Medical Center

no

There’s

shame in my game.

After a month there, Hensley entered the two-year rehabilitation program that, he says, was “probation amplified to 100.” He had to wear an ankle monitor for 24 straight months, with regular drug testing. During that program, Hensley heard about PGA HOPE. Hensley had played golf in high school and was a good player, so when an opportunity came to play golf, get outside and have it be a part of his rehabilitation process, he was all - in

Hensley didn’t have clubs – he had sold them years earlier for drugs But that soon got sorted out, thanks to Brian Oliver, a PGA Life Member who is Asheville’s lead PGA HOPE instructor and a national instructor for the program. “When you’re around veterans, their eyes tell the story and you could see in his eyes that he was in a dark spot,” Oliver recalls of his first meeting with Hensley nearly five years ago “He needed some help ” Oliver remembers Hensley saying he hadn’t played much golf in the past, but Oliver could tell that wasn’t true Hensley’s contact was pure Hensley told Oliver that he had to attend because of his current predicament, but that he was committed to continuing with the lessons.

“When the six-week program was over, he said, ‘I want to do something in the golf business,’” Oliver said. “He was wearing a nice golf shirt, nice shorts and shoes, and he was hitting shots and focused on why the ball was going where it was going He was a completely different person I knew we had tapped into something ” But even Oliver couldn’t have predicted it would end up as well as it has

Now a 4 handicap, Hensley has continued to be a part of the program, assists Oliver in recruiting other veterans – and then helps them once they are there. It’s one of the many reasons why Oliver nominated Hensley to represent the Carolinas PGA Section as one of 20 Ambassadors to participate in PGA HOPE National Golf and Wellness Week last month in Washington, D C , hosted by Congressional Country Club

He’s taking more ownership, more leadership in the group,” Oliver said. “He and I became really close friends. It was the bond of golf that did it. He found golf in the right phase of his life. It’s been an amazing journey for him.”

Now, Hensley is a certified golf nut He’s a supply technician at the VA Medical Center, and that line of work gives him direct access to speak to veterans about the PGA HOPE program He chips and putts almost every day during his hourlong lunch break He’s teaching his 3-yearold son Noah the game He caddies a couple times a week at either Biltmore Forest Country Club or the Country Club of Asheville, and he plays about four rounds of golf a week but admits, sheepishly, “it’s probably even more than that.” Hensley plans to take the 36-hole Player Ability Test at some point soon, with hopes of working full-time for the PGA HOPE program He says he’d be crazy to leave the golf circle that has been so kind and helped get his life back on the proper path He wants to stay in the game, he wants to continue to share his story – and he wants to give back

All is not perfect, however. Hensley knows that it never will be. There are still things that need to be rectified. He just recently received a paper from the Buncombe County Courthouse saying that all five of his felony charges had been expunged, a reward for staying clean well after finishing the VTC program But that doesn’t erase all the damage

“Some relationships have been mended and some, I don’t know if they ever will,” Hensley says. “But that won’t keep me from trying. I got a lot more to lose now and a lot more to live for. I keep that in the forefront of my mind and keep trying to drive forward.”

The PGA WORKS Fellowship is a program that offers access to individuals from diverse backgrounds—whether by gender, age, race or color, national origin or ancestry, sexual orientation, disability, religion or Veteran status—into the golf industry to gain experience in all facets of the golf industry. In 2017, the Carolinas launched a fifteen (15) month immersive position offered annually. In 2024, we will welcome our 8th PGA WORKS Fellow to the Carolinas PGA Family.

Background of PGA REACH Carolinas PGA WORKS Fellowships:

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Now employed full-time in the golf industry 75% 25% 12.5% 12.5% Black or African American Hispanic Asian 100% Female

In 2022, the PGA REACH Harvick4HighSchoolsGolf Program launched at two (2) Mecklenburg County high schools and two (2) Guilford County high schools to encourage more youth in Mecklenburg County and Guilford County to participate in high school athletic programs, specifically golf. This program, funded by generous grants from the Kevin Harvick Foundation & Gene Haas Foundation, fosters healthy lifestyles, teamwork and valuable life skills obtained from competition Now in its third year, qualifying high school golf programs are assigned a PGA professional to deliver four (4) golf instruction sessions per golf season to assist the current high school coach. Sessions include swing lessons, rules of golf fundamentals, course management, team strategy, and personal mentoring.

Through fundraising efforts from the Kevin Harvick Foundation and the PGA REACH Carolinas Foundation, donations from the Gene Haas Foundation, and equipment donations from the Carolinas PGA Professionals, Harvick4HighSchoolGolf has been able to provide PGA professional instruction, uniforms, team golf bags, golf clubs, hats, golf balls, golf clubs, and additional items to help these high schools have a successful season!

East Mecklenburg High School

David W. Butler High School

North Mecklenburg High School

Independence High School

Ben L. Smith High School

James B. Dudley High School

High Point Central High School

T. Wingate Andrews High School

Western Guilford High School (New in 2024)

Mecklenburg County Schools Guilford County High Schools Title 1 High Schools in Mecklenburg & Guilford Counties in North Carolina

PGA PLACES TO PLAY GRANT AWARDING - GILLESPIE GOLF CLUB

- GREENSBORO, NC

In the PGA of America’s mission to impact lives through the game of golf, PGA REACH is committed to ensuring the game of golf is open to everyone Through PGA Places To Play, we are creating new opportunities to support facilities and ensure affordable access to the game for people of all backgrounds and abilities

The PGA of America REACH Foundation awarded the 2025 Places to Play Spectator Championship Legacy Grant to Gillespie Golf Course. Opened in 1941, Gillespie Golf Course (GGC) is a 9-hole Perry Maxwell design with a decorated PGA Professional, Bob Brooks, who embraces PGA REACH programming and growth of the game initiatives with mainly inner city youth (PGA Junior League, PGA HOPE, Harvick4Heroes HS Golf program, First Tee of Central Carolina) GGC is the city’s oldest municipal golf course located in the economically challenged southeast side of Greensboro, NC approximately 95 miles from Charlotte, the host city of the 2025 PGA Championship Greensboro is also home to the Carolinas PGA Section Headquarters located on the Bryan Park Municipal Golf Course Campusto be played at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte in May 2025, located approximately 90 miles from the Carolinas Section headquarters at Bryan Park in Greensboro.

HISTORY

Gillespie has an incredible history during the racial strife of the 1950s. On December 7th, 1955, one week after Rosa Parks refused to give her bus seat to a white man, the “Greensboro 6” a group of heroic black men were arrested for daring to play the white-only golf course The gentlemen, remembered on a historic marker near the clubhouse, were tired of the shaggy conditioning and putrid smell from a nearby sewage plant Nocho Park, their nearby blacks-only course Dr George Simkins Jr , a prominent second-generation dentist, champion tennis player and golfer, led the charge to tee it up at Gillespie After their arrest, the case moved through the courts and was argued before the United States Supreme Court The court ruled 5-4 against the Greensboro Six Due to a related case, Gillespie was to be integrated, but before that happened the clubhouse was set on fire. The city decided to abandon its involvement and sold the property where nine of the 18 holes were, resulting in the back nine being bulldozed to create a parking lot for city vehicles and equipment. In 1962, the city voted to reopen the nine remaining holes of Gillespie Golf Course to all Greensboro residents

ALLIED PARTNERS

The Carolinas PGA is working closely with the City of Greensboro Parks & Recreation Department The golf course campus currently houses the First Tee of Central Carolina headquarters who is behind the project as well Similar to the famed East Lake renovation in Atlanta, Gillespie GC is adjacent to Gillespie Elementary School The Guilford County School system has approved golf in school programming for nearby public schools at Gillespie GC. The Joseph M. Bryan Foundation, founded by noted Greensboro philanthropist and Augusta National Golf Club member Joseph Bryan, has agreed to match the $250,000 Places to Play grant if received North Carolina A&T is planning to utilize the practice area for their men’s and women’s golf teams The City of Greensboro is also pursuing additional funding through state and federal grants and local corporate support

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PGA REACH CAROLINAS TRUSTEE PROGRAM OVERVIEW

PGA REACH CAROLINAS MISSION STATEMENT

The PGA REACH Carolinas Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and philanthropic arm of the Carolinas PGA Section The PGA REACH Carolinas Foundation is committed to serving our communities and the future of golf through our three pillars – Youth, Military, and Inclusion

The Foundation was created with the following purposes:

To improve and advance opportunities for youth 1

To provide golf as a therapeutic rehabilitation tool for active and retired military Veterans and their families 2

To encourage diversity and inclusion by promoting golf to all, particularly those who have no exposure to the game. 3.

PGA REACH CAROLINAS FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The PGA REACH Carolinas Foundation Board of Directors is comprised of the four (4) Carolinas PGA Officers with the opportunity to fill three (3) additional At-Large Board of Directors positions Additional Board Members do not have to be PGA Professionals. The PGA REACH Carolinas Foundation Board of Directors will approve the appointment of all trustees.

Current Board Members: President Josh Wagaman, PGA (Kiawah Island Golf Resort); Vice-President Jeff Avant, PGA (Rolling Hills CC); Secretary Ben Bridgers (Pinehurst Resort), PGA; Honorary President Chris Byrd, PGA (Cape Fear CC); At-Large Director Ken Haigler (Founding Trustee) and At-Large Director Adam Messix, PGA (Headwaters GC)

TRUSTEE OUTLINE

The PGA REACH Carolinas Trustee Program will be comprised of up to twenty-one (21) trustees serving four (4) year terms. Trustees may serve up to two (2) consecutive terms and may regain status as a PGA REACH Carolinas Trustee after one year absent from the organization. Corporations may provide a trustee gift and will have the opportunity to appoint one individual to serve as the Trustee.

Trustees in the following categories will gift a minimum of $100,000 (payable over 4 years) as an unrestricted gift to the Foundation. Up to two (2) trustees may be asked to serve on the PGA REACH Carolinas Foundation Board of Directors.

FIVE (5) FOUNDING TRUSTEES

Will be recognized on a plaque at the Carolinas PGA Headquarters

Will be recognized on all printed and digital correspondence regarding Foundation activity and success perpetually

Will have first right of refusal for annual trustee events and outings

Will serve as advisors to the PGA REACH Carolinas Foundation Board of Directors and Carolinas Section Board of Directors

UP TO FIFTEEN (15) AT-LARGE TRUSTEES

Will be recognized on all printed and digital correspondence regarding Foundation activity and success whiLe active trustees

Will serve as advisors to the Carolinas Section & PGA REACH Carolinas Foundation Board of Directors

Will be invited to join Foundation Board of Directors and fellow Trustees for annual outings and events.

TRUSTEE DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Advise the Foundation Board of Directors in oversight of the Foundation’s financial assets, budget, and strategic planning

Provide recommendations regarding the management of investments, financial controls and systems for fiscal accountability

Advise the Foundation Board of Directors while setting the strategic direction of the Foundation through a plan regarding governance, asset and Foundation management, and the attainment of grant making goals and fundraising

Assist the Foundation Board of Directors and the PGA REACH Carolinas staff in building relationships with future potential Foundation Trustees

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

An understanding of the Carolinas PGA Section and the PGA REACH Carolinas Foundation, particularly regarding the PGA REACH Carolinas mission statement

Have a true passion for the game of golf and the future of the game

Willingness to give time and thought to the affairs of the Foundation

Capacity for harmonious teamwork, for arriving at and accepting group decisions

Practical wisdom: The capacity to see the whole picture, to recognize the validity of opposing arguments, to distinguish principle from expediency and to temper the ideal with what is realistically possible

FOUNDATION GOALS & FUTURE GIFT OPPORTUNITIES

The PGA REACH Carolinas Foundation is committed to ensuring financial stability for the Foundation and our current programming as well as future programming. Meeting financial benchmarks will allow the Foundation to achieve desired growth including growing existing programs as well as introducing new programs.

FOUNDATION BENCHMARKS & GOALS

$1,000,000

- ACCOMPLISHED 2023

Hire a PGA REACH Foundation Director of Development to focus on continued financial growth and fundraising opportunities

Balance foundation budget to allow current programs to grow at sustainable pace

$2,000,000

Establish a grant program specifically for PGA Professionals in the Carolinas who offer programming in the areas of Youth, Military, and Diversity & Inclusion

$3,000,000

Establish scholarship program tying into the three pillars of the Foundation (Youth, Military, and Diversity & Inclusion)

$4,000,000

Build addition to Carolinas PGA Headquarters to house the PGA REACH Carolinas Team