Helping kids find the fairways of life
Anyone who has played golf knows the game can be both rewarding and 
frustrating — a lot like life.
As you start each new round, you know you’ll have many opportunities for both success and failure. Each hole presents its own unique challenges that you must overcome. There are rules to follow, and success comes with patience, practice, and perseverance.
That’s why First Tee – West Michigan focuses its efforts on helping kids find the fairways
in the game and
in life.
First Tee is a youth development organization that enables kids to build character, which will empower them to face a lifetime of challenges. By integrating the game of golf with a life skills curriculum, the organization seeks to create learning experiences that build inner strength, self-confidence, and resilience that kids can carry to everything they do.
In the fall of 2024, the People Fund awarded First Tee a $4,000 grant to support its
Homework and Hitting program.
First Tee of West Michigan Muskegon Area Director Erik Sanford explained that the
Homework and Hitting program is typically a six-week program that First Tee takes to area schools during the winter. Initially, the program served as an opportunity for First Tee coaches to have off-season interaction with kids they’d worked with previously. Part of each session would be devoted to providing academic support to students, and the rest of the time is spent working on kids’ golf fundamentals by hitting into an indoor net and other exercises.
However, as the program expanded into more rural areas, thanks in part to the People
Fund grant, the participants are typically kids who have had no prior interaction with First Tee and little or no golf experience. In those cases, the program pivots to mirror the summertime outdoor program model, which focuses on teaching life skills while teaching the basics of golf.
“For example, we might discuss how to pursue a goal, both on the golf course and in life,” Erik said. “Golf is the vehicle for these lessons. Our philosophy is ‘We’re trying to build better golfers, but we’re trying to build even better people.’”
First Tee of West Michigan offers many opportunities for people to get involved in supporting its mission. To learn more about First Tee West Michigan, including all of its youth program offerings and opportunities to get involved, visit firstteewestmichigan.org
Since its inception in 1999, Great Lakes Energy’s People Fund has awarded more than $4.8 million in grants to nonprofit organizations that serve GLE’s 26-county service area. Grants are funded by participating GLE members who agree to have their monthly electric bill rounded up to the next whole dollar. To learn more about the People Fund, including how to sign up, how nonprofit organizations can apply for a grant, and a list of recent grant recipients, visit gtlakes.com/people-fund.
