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March 2020 • ALAMO TODAY & DANVILLE TODAY NEWS • PAGE 1
& MARCH 2020
FIRST TEE IS AS MUCH ABOUT LIFE AS IT IS ABOUT GOLF By Fran Miller
First Tee started in 1997 with a question: Why don’t more kids play golf? In attempting to answer the question, The LPGA, the Masters Tournament, the PGA of America, the PGA TOUR, and the USGA formed First Tee as a way to bring an affordable junior golf program to communities that did not have such, especially in economically disadvantaged areas. What First Tee soon discovered was that in blending the rules of golf with life and leadership skills, kids and teens didn’t learn only to putt and drive – they learned important values. Contra Costa County has its own First Tee program, led by director Lucio Diaz who oversees programming, management, outreach, and growth for all of First Tee of Contra Costa locations. Diaz ensures that all classes, youth tournaments, and all other First Tee program are running optimally. He is also in charge of managing coaching staff and volunteers at five golf course locations and making sure the program has the necessary coaching support for on-course programming. With First Tee for nearly six years, Diaz has had the opportunity to act or assist in many roles in the CCC chapter. He started as a volunteer at Boundary Oak Golf Course, then progressed to a Lead Coach Role in 2016. At the same time, he was hired as the Outreach and Volunteers Coordinator, a position he held until last year when he was promoted to Program Director.
Ian Stratford and his mother Jean Stratford pull the final offending fennel at Point Isabel Photo by Jane Kelly.
TINY TREASURES/TALL TREES: EBCNPS KNOWS WHY EACH NATIVE PLANT MATTERS
By Jody Morgan
First Tee members practice their skills. Photo by Jerome Deguzman.
Alamo Today & Danville Today News spoke with Diaz to learn more about the innovative youth golf program: What is First Tee’s goal? The mission of First Tee of Contra Costa is to positively impact the lives of young people by providing educational programs that build character, instill life-enhancing values, and promote healthy choices through the game of golf. Our goal is to provide youth in our community the education and tools
See First Tee continued on page 23
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ECRWSS
After saving Tilden Park’s native botanic garden, a group of plant experts, gardeners, and nature lovers continued their commitment by establishing the California Native Plant Society (CNPS) in 1965. Taking the lead as founding chapter of the statewide organization, the East Bay Chapter of the California Native Plant Society (EBCNPS) identifies locally rare and unusual plants, advocates protection of botanical priority areas, collaborates in preservation and restoration of habitats, provides sustainably propagated native plants, and shares science-based information about caring for the botanical treasures of Contra Costa and Alameda Counties. Free monthly program meetings are open to the public. Knowing what’s growing is essential for developing strategies to sustain California’s extraordinary biodiversity. “Overall, the mixture of vegetation types in California is extremely rich; the state boasts some 5.000 native plant species, Endangered pallid manzanitas about a third of the national total and the highest are threatened by soil-borne number found in any state,” writes Peter Raven disease and overgrown habitats. in Beauty and the Beast: California Wildflowers Photo by Judy Schwartz.
See EBCNPS continued on page 22
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Volume XX Number 3
Volume XI Number 3
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