HOWARD BANKHEAD
Blog: May-June-July 2013
The End of 2013 School Year
The end of 2013 School year is here and it is time to finalize plans for youth summer programs. Historically, the summer season is a somewhat dormant period for education making it a perfect time for the Youth Golf Development program and the Jazz-N-June festival to offer educational opportunities that are entertaining and enjoyable. Our goal is for area students to participate in several events, primarily the golf day at the Muni, the Youth Science and Arts Symposium, and the jazz clinic.
This Blog features: Xavier Hereford, Jazz-N-June Festival Golf and the John Stallworth Celebrity Golf Tournament.
I have been blessed to work with thousands of young people in my youth life & golf skills development program. I had the opportunity to help former students; David Tennesson (2005), Tyler Hastie (2007) and Xavier Hereford (2013) receive scholarships for college. They were members of The First Tee of Huntsville program and because of their life skills and dedication to the program; they were awarded the RBS Achiever Award and full scholarships.
Above, L-R: Xavier Hereford, me (Howard), John Stallworth, Caleb Battle, Brandon Davison
At the 2005 President Cup at Lake Manassas, Virginia awards ceremony, David and I met Jack Nicklaus. Each year the First Tee chapters submit applications for their participants to be selected for the award, but only a few was chosen. In our brief history, The First Tee of Huntsville has two selected.
I am proud that David and Tyler were selected to represent Huntsville, AL. I am even more proud of another former participant, Xavier Hereford. This young man reached the pinnacle of overcoming hardship and showing perseverance, and became a model for The First Tee.
Xavier came to our program when he was in the 7th grade, and as he grew, so did his life & golf skills. But the most prize treasures that Xavier exemplifies are his work ethic and his character.
I met Xavier Hereford in 2005 when he was a participant in The First Tee of Huntsville Program. From day one, Xavier was willing to do whatever was asked of him. He was eager and excited to be part of The First Tee of Huntsville Program. Xavier was a participant, as well a volunteer as was David and Tyler. We encouraged the participants to always share what they knew with their fellow golfers and to help others less fortunate than themselves.
Xavier Hereford set the standard on how a young person should conduct oneself. He was 12 years old when he began his young life as a community servant, better known as a volunteer.
During the summer of 2005, we had 28 participants in the program ages 7-18, and a staff of five adults. We always asked the participants to volunteer for various small duties and most would. However, one participant (Xavier) would always ask to help to do something for the program before we asked.
The type of volunteer services ranged from:
-Calling the daily roll
-Cleaning up spills or picking up trash (in the learning center or at golfing facilities)
-Organizing equipment (golf clubs, bags, balls, etc.)
-Getting ice and/or water for the cooler
…And other classroom and field trip responsibilities.
As Xavier grew older and his golf skills and knowledge of the game developed, so did his service to the program and others. When Xavier was in the 9th grade, we asked him to work with other students on their golf skills. He would sit in on staff training sessions and glean information on giving instructions and operating a work session.
In 2008, because of Xavier’s life skills (impeccable manners, golf etiquette, work ethic and volunteerism), he was selected to participate in a regional golf event at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, GA. It was the first Golf Channel Invitational for The First Tee. At this event, Xavier impressed everyone so much, that the Golf Channel selected him for a feature story. Out of over 2 million lives that The First Tee has touched.
In 2008, a one-hour Golf Channel special presentation benefiting The First Tee initiative aired in-depth stories on several young men and women from First Tee chapters around the world. The chapters that were represented included The First Tee of East Lake in Atlanta, The First Tee of Monterey County, Calif, The First Tee of St. Johns County, Fla and Xavier Hereford from The First Tee of Huntsville.
Can lighting strike twice in the same place? I say yes, because it happened to Xavier. In 2009, he was again selected out of thousands of First Tee participants in the southeast region to complete against fourteen First Tees chapters from Georgia, Tennessee, New York, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Texas. And again, his story was broadcasted worldwide on Golf Channel.
Along with receiving worldwide exposure on the Golf Channel, Xavier has been featured on several local newscasts. Since the First Tee experience, Xavier has worked and volunteered with Huntsville’s Tennessee Valley Youth Golf Development program. With this program, Xavier has not only served as a youth golf instructor, but also helped students understand math and science in the game of golf.
Xavier has been offered a full scholarship to play golf at Alabama A&M University. While he attends college in pursuit of his career goals, Xavier will work with my youth development ministry and serve as a mentor to younger golfers.
Xavier’s family and friends are proud of him…So am I!
I would love to hear from you with your thoughts or comments.
Give a youth a gift for life, youth golf development! Support Huntsville’s Tennessee Valley Youth Golf development
For more information on how to donate to help make a difference in the lives of so many in our communities, we invite you to visit our Web site at http://tvygd.dms-graphics.com or call 256-886-0579.
Howard Bankhead
Executive Director
Tennessee Valley Youth Golf Development
604 Jordan Lane
Huntsville, AL 35816 USA
256-604-8172
