Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation Continues Its Funding Support

Gator Junior Golf has been selected as a continuing funding partner with Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation since 2019

Gator Junior Golf received its first grant from the Wadsworth Foundation in 2019. Since then, we’ve been able to exponentially grow our program, overcome many obstacles and impact countless young lives, which would not have been possible without the resilient funding support from Wadsworth. Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation is dedicated to improving communities through the embodiment of the moral, ethical and cultural codes of the game of golf.

Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation is committed to the belief that:

In golf there is a unique emphasis on the gentle behavioral qualities of self-discipline, culture and etiquette in order to conform to a higher standard of propriety and respect between human beings. Golf also embodies the qualities of charity, a lenient judgment of others and the opportunity for enriching the lives of all who come in contact with the game.

The social and cultural lessons of golf begin in an aura of peace with nature itself, in the fresh open air, and in a quiet, relaxing, tension-free atmosphere. Important, too, are the courtesies of the game: giving consideration to fellow players, emphasizing respect and enhancing the opportunity for enjoyment.

A quote from our Executive Director, Sean Warner:

Our funding partnership with the Wadsworth Foundation has proven invaluable and came at a critical point in our program’s history in 2019. At the time, we were just getting started with searching for grants. As a team, we were very new to navigating the grant process, and the leadership at the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation were so gracious to help us through the process— our results since then speak for themselves.

We’ve overcome the closure of our main golf course not once but twice— talk about having to recreate your main customer base every 2-3 years! Not only that, but we’ve been able to nurture our targeted programs with Girls Place, Reichert House and the newer Shands Children’s Hospital Golf Program where we’ve focused on reaching youth in 4 key areas: low income families, minorities, girls and youth with disabilities/disease.

Back when we first received funding from them in 2019, it was a poignant time for us as an organization. I had graduated college the year before and moved to Atlanta to pursue my career as a CPA, and we were in limbo as far as who would lead our program. After surviving my first busy season as a CPA, I realized it was time for me to step up again and lead the program into our next phase of growth and not just as a short term fix but this was for the long haul. It’s been my baby from day 1 and it will always be something I’m devoting my time and passion towards.

In 2019, we had a remarkable individual who was our Director of Operations, Max Meier, who overhauled our operations and got our curriculum up to speed with the latest and greatest of golf instruction. We grew our program to 7 different class levels, so kids can start at age 4 and progress through the program until they graduate high school. We now have 24 different classes every single week where we serve 450 kids annually— talk about growth!

The funding from the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation has helped put us on the map and show we’re serious about what we do— enhancing the lives of youth by providing educational programs that build character, promote team-building, and establish mentorship through the game of golf. That’s helped us diversify and get funding from other big names. We’re still building a funding base to sustain us long-term, but to say we’ve made progress with the kids and as a well rounded organization is an understatement. And it all started with that first grant from Wadsworth.

Read more about the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation on their website: https://www.wadsworthgolffoundation.org/