HOWARD BANKHEAD
Blog: October 2012
In order to help make this world a better place to live by making the arts and other youth development programs accessible to more children, Jazz Great Ellis Marsalis is coming to Huntsville to help “RAISE AWARENESS AND FUNDS” for the Tennessee Valley Jazz Society-Youth Development program in Alabama.
This blog will not be about golf, but about youth development programs which includes golf. This blog is a part of the 3-5-10 Mentoring Initiative and my Whole-Kid project. We need our youth to have some balance in their lives as well being well-rounded.
There are plenty of youth that can run fast, understand math concepts, jump height, master the king’s language and throw the ball far. But there is no balance in their lives. I want to see kids and young people who not only can play sports well, excel at reading and writing, but also have good character! The Tennessee Valley Youth Development programs are all about building character.
Tennessee Valley Jazz Society-Huntsville is Celebrating An American NEA Jazz Master
By Presenting Ellis Marsalis.
I am honored that the world famous NEA Jazz Master and educator Ellis Marsalis has agreed to share his time and talent with the community of Huntsville and the Tennessee Valley.
I contacted Mr. Marsalis and asked that he support my efforts and he agreed to return to Huntsville to help us raise funds and awareness for our youth development programs. These programs include:
• Jazz Education-is-Cool-in-the-Schools
• Health Awareness
• Golf & Life Skills Development
Along with the dollars needed, the most important thing is awareness of the programs and services available to the youth. Bible Scripture states: “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge”. This is so true! We know that if the parents, community leaders, business community and others knew the value of the programs and services of the Tennessee Valley Jazz Society-Youth Development…we would not have issues with funding!
Mr. Marsalis’ schedule is as follows:
• Thursday, 5PM, October 18, Panel Discussion on Jazz past, present and future.
• Friday, 11AM, October 19, Jazz Master Class conducted by Ellis Marsalis
• Friday, 7PM, October 19, Jazz Performance featuring Ellis Marsalis
• Friday, 1:30PM, October 19, Jazz Education-is-Cool-in-the-School
These activities are for adults to enjoy and youth to experience!
My first Hole-In-One
On Saturday, October 6, 2012, I was having a slow day. The weather was gloomy and autumn was in the air. But I decided to go out to the golf course and met up with one of my golfing buddies Jim Commiskey. Jim and I had played the front nine and the weather began to improve.
I was hitting it pretty good, but I had just bogeyed hole 12, an uphill par 4, 332 yards. Hole 13 is a 212 yards par 3 downhill. We had a little cross wind, so I chose my 3 iron and hit a semi-low fade (I am right-handed but I play golf left-handed).
Jim said, Howard that was a good shot, his ball was right of the green. I saw my ball going towards the green, but I didn’t see it land. When Jim and I got to the green, Jim said Howard your ball is in the hole. I was nervous because I did hit it pretty good, but normally with that shot; my ball is in the back bunker or to the right of the green.
After I checked the bunker and the grass around the green, I looked in the hole and there it was! Of course, I yelled and told the guys on tee box 14 that I had got a hole-in-one!
It was getting dark, so Jim and I played a few more holes. But celebrating was on our minds, so we stopped by a local sport bar and enjoyed ourselves….I had to buy drinks! For me the moral of this Hole-In-One is, if you don’t feel like doing something get up and move and you never can tell what might happen.
Support youth development where ever you are.
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 and or call 256-886-0579.
Give Youth A Gift For Life: Youth Golf Development!
Howard Bankhead
Executive Director
Tennessee Valley Youth Golf Development
604 Jordan Lane
Huntsville, AL 35816 USA
256-604-8172
