PGA REACH WNY | 2022 Annual Report

MISSION “Positively Impacting Lives Through the Game of Golf”

PGA REACH WNY was created with the goal of providing support to various organizations within the boundaries of the Western NewYork PGA Section. Through the game of golf, the Foundation will work to fund programs supporting its mission including the Western NewYork Section PGA Junior Golf initiatives and various other underprivileged youth golf programs. The Foundation will conduct and/or support a variety of initiatives that serve the founding pillars:Youth, Military, and Diversity in Golf.

TIM FRIES, PGA PGA REACH WNY Foundation President

VICTORIA SCHIRO PGA REACH WNY FOUNDATION EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

I am continually inspired by not only the growth of the PGA Reach WNY Foundation but by the many individuals that truly benefit from its expanding programs! 2022 saw continued, exciting, successes across all our platforms. This season’s Marathon was awesome and had a record number of participants; the Annual Charity Hockey Classic was super fun and competitive; our summer and winter HOPE programs in Buffalo, Niagara, Rochester, & Erie are growing; the Cans for Hope remains an anchor for weekly visits to the redemption center; the Duster Putting Challenge was amazing under the lights; the Tee It Up For The Troops event continues to humbly support our HOPE program; the PGA Junior League and Drive, Chip, and Putt initiatives are expanding; and our HOPE Ambassadors are moving the preverbal needle big time! THANK YOU to all that participated and raised their philanthropic and volunteering hand! All this and more to come in ’23!The PGA Championship returns to Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester in May. We have a variety of great initiatives leading up to and during that week engaging all our benefactors and key stakeholders! Look to the following pages for your participation opportunities!

Cheers, Tim

It is truly an honor to serve as the Executive Director of the PGA REACH WNY Foundation. I am inspired every day by the work that our local WNYPGA Professionals continue to do in the community. PGA REACH WNY (formally known as the WNYPGA Foundation Inc.) was founded in 2010 by local PGA Professionals in the Western New York PGA Section with the goal of positively impacting lives through the game of golf. Since its inception, this charitable arm of the WNYPGA has been providing access and opportunities across the Section to individuals through the game of golf. And this past year has been extremely impactful to our local communities! Junior golf initiatives have touched the lives of over 900 kids, teaching them all the life lessons that golf provides in a fun and safe environment. PGA HOPE continues to grow and serve over 100 of our local Veterans helping them to assimilate back into society. In 2022, we even named a third National PGA HOPE Ambassador, Justin Weglinski. The Charity Hockey Classic has now raised over $30,000 for the Special Olympics Golf Program. And much more!

To our partners, donors, volunteers, facilities and PGA Professionals that continue to support our mission, thank you!

Sincerely, Tori

YOUTH

PGA Junior League is the flagship youth pillar program of PGA REACH WNY, with the goal of making the program accessible to all interested kids in Western New York. With more than 42,000 golfers representing 3,400 teams in 47 states throughout the United States, participation in Junior League continues to increase each season. Through the PGA Jr. League, girls and boys ages 17 and under learn and enjoy the game with instruction and direction from PGA and LPGA Professionals.

MILITARY

PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is the flagship military program of PGA REACH WNY that introduces golf to Veterans with disabilities to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional wellbeing. Led by local WNYPGA Professionals, it’s a proven therapeutic activity that has helped hundreds of Veterans across Western New York assimilate back into their communities. These programs are delivered throughout our region at no cost to the Veterans.

DIVERSITY &INCLUSION

PGA WORKS Fellowship is one of the flagship programs of PGA REACH WNY. 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 Membership, is demographically homogeneous. 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.

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

WNYPGA STAFF

Easterday Director of Competitons and Membership Services

Victoria Schiro Interim Executive Director

Julie Haile Director of Junior Golf & Player Engagement

Ashley

Taylor Hunter PGA Works Fellow

MILITARY

PGA HOPE

PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) is the flagship military program of PGA REACH WNY, the charitable foundation of the Western New York Section, PGA of America. PGA HOPE introduces golf to Veterans with disabilities to enhance their physical, mental, social and emotional well-being.

The program introduces the game of golf through a developmental 6-8 week curriculum, taught by WNYPGA Professionals trained in adaptive golf and military cultural competency. All programs are funded by PGA REACH and supplemented by PGA REACH WNY, so the cost of programming is free to all Veterans.

PGA HOPE has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), which enables Recreational Therapists to refer Veterans to the PGA HOPE program as a form of therapy. Through a robust program strategy, PGA HOPE aspires to create a physically and emotionally healthier Veteran community by shaping lives, changing lives, and possibly saving lives through the game of golf.

It is a fact that suicide is a major issue among military Veterans, with recent statistical studies showing that 22 Veterans a day commit suicide.

PGA HOPE WNY is working to change this statistic.

PGA HOPE WNY Represented in 2021 Secretary's Cup

PGA REACH, the 501c3 charitable arm of the PGA of America, held the 6th annual PGA HOPE Secretary's Cup on May 16th, 2021 in conjunction with the 104th PGA Championship in Tusla, Oklahoma. For this Secretary's Cup, the Western New York PGA HOPE Chapter was invited to compete in the field against 12 other PGA HOPE Chapters across the country.

PGA HOPE Secretary's Cup celebrates the PGA HOPE Program by providing a unique and memorable experience for our military Veterans and the PGA Professionals who work tirelessly to positively impact Veterans' lives. This annual event in conjunction with the week of PGA Championship, began in 2016 and is named after the Secretary of Veteran Affairs in recognition of the Memorandum of Understanding between PGA REACH and the Department of Veteran Affairs. Each team is made up of four Veterans from a PGA HOPE program and one WNYPGA or LPGA Professional.

The WNY team consisted of PGA Professional Jeff Mietus, PGA and PGA HOPE Graduates Gregory Disbrow, Justin Weglinski, Mike Sia and Scott Smalter. Also in attendance were Mike D'Agostino, PGA REACH WNY Vice President, and Victoria Schiro, WNYPGA Section Staff Member.

PGA HOPE WNY at National Golf & Wellness Week Congressional Country Club

The 501(c)(3) charitable foundation of the PGA of America - announced this past October that 20 military Veterans across the country would travel to Congressional Country Club to be named PGA HOPE Ambassadors at the National Golf and Wellness Week. Included in that exclusive list of 20 is Justin Weglinski who is a U.S Army Veteran and a graduate of the local PGA HOPE WNY program. Justin joined our program in 2021 and has already been such a great ambassador and leader of our HOPE program. Since joining in 2021, Justin has rarely missed a class, represented WNY in the PGA Secretary’s Cup at Tulsa Oklahoma in 2022.

Over the course of four days in Washington DC, Justin and fellow veterans received a tool kit of new skills focused on advanced golf instruction and impactful wellness training. This curriculum was an extension to what Veterans have been learning throughout the year at their home PGA HOPE program. Golf instruction was provided by the most respected PGA Members from around the country, and wellness instruction was provided by leaders in Veteran healthcare from the Cohen Veteran Network (CVN). The curriculum covered topics like nutrition, stress management, mental health and life skills. Some of golf’s most iconic figures encouraged Veterans to share stories of how golf has impacted their lives both on and off the course.

"After having a chance to reflect on the past week in D.C., taking part in the PGA HOPE’s National Golf and Wellness Week, I struggle to find words to describe what it has meant to me. Anything I can say feels like an understatement, but it was such an incredible and amazing experience. The training will not only help me grow my Section programs but also gave me a better understanding of how to help my fellow veterans and grow as an individual and a father. My time spent with the PGA Professionals at Congressional Country Club, getting my swing evaluated, and learning from PGA Professional Dave Stockton will be something I will cherish forever." - Justin Weglinksi

Y OUTH

Y OUTH

PGA JR LEAGUE

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

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

BY THE NUMBERS

24

WNYPGA JUNIOR TOUR

In 1999 The WNYPGA Junior Golf Tour was formed to provide an opportunity and atmosphere for juniors to enjoy the camaraderie, friendship, and sportsmanship of competitive golf at a series of premier venues throughout the Western New York Section of the PGA of America. Since the conception of The WNYPGA Junior Golf Tour it has grown from 10 annual events to the current schedule of 34 events. Annually the membership is between 150 – 250 junior golfers that play approximately 2,000 rounds of competitive golf. Since 1999 it has had over 4,500 members and over 25,000 rounds! The WNYPGA Section is Most Proud of the fact that we have touched the lives of so many young ladies and gentlemen over the past 23 years. Through the Game of Golf we have instilled the life skills of honesty, integrity, competitiveness and camaraderie.

Y O UT H

Drive, Chip & Putt

A joint initiative founded in 2013 by the Masters Tournament, United States Golf Association and The PGA of America, Drive, Chip and Putt is a free nationwide junior golf development competition aimed at growing the game by focusing on the three fundamental skills employed in golf.

By tapping the creative and competitive spirit of girls and boys ages 7-15, Drive, Chip and Putt provides aspiring junior golfers an opportunity to play with their peers in qualifiers around the country. Participants who advance through local, sub-regional and regional qualifying in each age/gender category earn a place in the National Finals, which is conducted at Augusta National Golf Club the Sunday before the Masters Tournament and is broadcast live by Golf Channel.

Three qualfers from our subregional were Angelina Chang (Girls 7-9) , Ezekiel Wong(Boys 7-9), and Dawson Leu (Boys 12-13). We wish you the best of luck at Nationals.

Y OUTH

Junior Golf Days

The 45-minute golf clinics introduce juniors to the game of golf utilizing the American Development Model (ADM) to develop the entire athlete not just specialize in one sport. Instruction will be focused on Stage Two of the American Development Model (ADM), FUNdamentals, to develop skills for play focused on fun, inclusion and developmentally appropriate activities.

DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

OVERVIEW

PGA Works Fellowship is one of the flagship programs of PGA REACH WNY. 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 industryʼs workforce, including PGA Membership, is demographically homogenous. The boards, senior leadership and full-time staff are 95%, 97% and 86% Caucasian (respectively). PGA Works Fellowship aspires to be the most valuable employment opportunity for individuals from diverse backgrounds to garner experience in all facets of the golf industry.

In 2022, PGA REACH WNY hired a PGA Works Fellow, Taylor Hunter (Pictured below), giving golf industry experience to an individual that had never been introduced to the game of golf before. The PGA WORKS Fellowship is a twelve-month paid position funded by PGA REACH. The goal is to have a PGA Membership and golf industry that look like a modern-day America.

2022 Supporting Event

DUSTER CHALLENGE

Conducted by the Tee2Green Radio Show hosts raised $3,050 for PGA REACH WNY. The 18-hole family friendly putting competition was held at Glen Oak Golf Course, with Charlie Fischer being crowned, “Buffalo’s Best Putter” for the 2nd time in 5 years.

TEE IT UP FOR THE TROOPS: WANAKAH

Held their 6th annual event at Wanakah Country Club on September 13th, 2021.

The golf event brings local businesses together in a golf event to recognize our Military Veterans and Active Duty members. As a beneficiary, the PGA REACH WNY Foundation received over $13,000 to help support the local PGA HOPE Chapters

PGA REACH WNY Marathon

For over a year, our team of supporters waited and trained to run a full marathon. The team was committed not only to running the race, but also to supporting the individuals within the PGA REACH WNY Foundation.

Thanks to the support of our golfing community, family, friends and sponsors, our PGA REACH WNY Marathon Team was able to raise $12,000 to support the programing within the Foundation for the 2023 Season.

CHARITY HOCKEY GAME

This year was our 4th Annual Charity Hockey Game. We would like to thank all the Professionals and PGA Hope Veterans for playing in the Charity Hockey Game. We were able to raise close to $ 6,280 for the WNYPGA Hope Program and Special Olympics New York!

"On behalf of myself and the Section staff. We would like to thank our Foundation sponsors for their support during the 2022 golf season. We look forward to working with everyone in the 2023 season. "

-Victoria Schiro

PGA REACH WNY Executive Director/

CEO

BECOME A PARTNE R FOR 2023

FOUNDING PARTNERS

$10,000

• Brand Recognition inside AND oncourse at the PGA REACH WNY Homesite at Glen Oak Golf Course (averages 35,000 rounds per year)

• 10 Hours of lessons, fittings, swing analysis with PGA Professionals

• Listing on PGA REACH WNY Foundation Website and Newsletter

PLATINUM

$5,000

• Brand Recognition inside the PGA REACH WNY Homesite at Glen Oak Golf Course

• 4 Hours of lessons, fittings, swing analysis with PGA Professionals

• Listing on PGA REACH WNY Foundation Website and Newsletter EAGLE

$2,500

• Brand Recognition inside the PGA REACH WNY Homesite at Glen Oak Golf Course

• 2 Hours of lessons, fittings, swing analysis with PGA Professionals

• Listing on PGA REACH WNY Foundation Website and Newsletter

BIRDIE

• Brand Recognition inside the PGA REACH WNY Homesite at Glen Oak Golf Course

• Listing on PGA REACH WNY Foundation Website and Newsletter

The Future of the Lonnie Nielsen Learning Center(s)

PGA REACH WNY Foundation has a long-term strategic vision of using golf to heal and better our community through outdoor, and eventually indoor, inclusive learning centers owned and operated by The Foundation. These state of the art facilities will include a short course, practice area and indoor learning center. This project will not only help our specific benefactors but we truly want to make this available to all of the below. Golf is a game that teaches so many life lessons but has many barriers to access. With this inclusive safe site, there will no longer be those barriers.