Seventeen-year-old Emari DeAnte Marshall loves many things. His dog Lucky. Reading. The color brown. His family. Chicken and spaghetti. And golf, of course. 
Emari has been taking lessons for about two years, from coach Howard Bankhead of the Tennessee Valley Youth Development organization, and it has changed his life.
Blind in his left eye and suffering from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and mild Cerebral Palsy, Emari does not fit the idea of a stereotypical athlete. But athletes come in all shapes and sizes, and once he picked up a golf club, Emari’s inner athlete shone. He’s more confident, self-assured, and reaching for the stars! When he has a golf club in his hand, nothing else matters.
Howard Bankhead runs the Tennessee Valley Youth Development organization with a passion that exceeds, at times, his physical body strength. But, nothing is going to stop him. He’s determined to help youngsters in his area and long hours in planning their activities is paying off for their futures. His mission is committed to serving young people and to help give them opportunities for a better future, with mentoring life & golf skills that are learned on the course, in the classroom and in service to each other.
The organization is a subsidiary of Tennessee Valley Jazz Society-Huntsville. Together, they are changing lives throughout their area. The Tennessee Valley Jazz Society-Huntsville, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts agency and youth development organization. Founded in 1981, Tennessee Valley Jazz Society mission is to “sponsor and encourage” artistic, sporting, health, and educational activities in the Tennessee Valley-metro Huntsville, AL area.
Thanks to Howard, whose motto is “Anything Positive is Possible”. Emari developed a deep love for the game. Not only does golf help Emari physically, it expands his horizons, encouraging him to try new things and to challenge himself.
He golfs regularly, four times a month with Howard, working particularly on aiming for the target, which he struggles with at times, despite the focus and attention he gives to it. Other youth would have gotten frustrated long time ago and given up. But not Emari. He’s hitting better and better with each lesson.
Among the many skills Emari’s learned from golf is, of all things, math. Howard’s instruction, part of a program called Golf Life Skills, involves using the sport to teach math to kids. The curriculum was developed as a way for Huntsville’s kids to be introduced to good sportsmanship, healthy living and—in a stroke of genius—math.
The idea is to use the concentration, coordination, and science of the game to teach children the skills they most often struggle with in school. The angle of a swing, the force a golfer puts into the putt, the wind speed—so many things can affect your game. It makes sense to use those things to give the students skills that go far beyond winning or losing. Plus it’s great fun. 
It’s certainly worked with Emari. His critical thinking skills have improved, as has his ability to calculate. The change it’s made to his life is immeasurable, and will last the rest of his life. It is, however, something that has always been within the young man. The natural talents he was born with are being enhanced by his exposure to golf, and his future looks very bright because of it. 
