John Deere has renewed its commitment to The First Tee in an effort to bring more girls to the game of golf.
Research shows about one of every five golfers is a woman. The First Tee boasts a little better success, with girls comprising 38 percent of its participants. It wants that number to even higher, hopefully as much as 45-50 percent, and John Deere is going to help it try to get there. Through the next five years, the John Deere Foundation will donate more than $600,000, according to published reports, to The First Tee, which uses golf to teach core leadership and life skills to children.
Deere's support, which runs from 2017 through 2021, will focus on community service and volunteerism, leadership skills for girls and program support of The First Tee activities in select Deere communities. Deere has supported The First Tee since 2012.
"Over the next five years, this initiative will encourage and recognize young people who take an active role in preparing for their future and serve the communities where they live," said Mara Downing, president of the John Deere Foundation and director of corporate citizenship and global brand management at Deere and Co.
Deere's support also will help provide other lifelong opportunities that might not otherwise materialize.
A nationwide contest in the U.S. will demonstrate the impact of leadership skills gained through community service and volunteerism with The First Tee. Participants age 14 to 18 will be able to submit a written essay for the opportunity to win a $5,000 college scholarship plus the opportunity to be a VIP guest and pro-am participant in 2017 at the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois.
Essays will focus on how students represent "Power for Good" through service to their communities, the impact their work is having and how their work is connected to the values learned through The First Tee and the game of golf. The contest will launch later this year.
"Introducing themselves with confidence, shaking someone's hand and looking them in the eye and taking off their hat at the end of a round to congratulate someone at the end of a round those are skills you learn on the golf course," said First Tee vice president Jennifer Weiler.
An event for girls focused on developing leadership skills within the context of the game of golf will be held in conjunction with LPGA-USGA Girls Golf in a The First Tee community, where the winner of the national essay contest will be honored. This event will be the first-ever in which The First Tee will focus on leadership skills and golf awareness for a female-only audience.
The John Deere Foundation will also provide funding to further develop The First Tee chapters in select John Deere home communities, including the Quad Cities in Illinois and Iowa; Des Moines, Iowa; and Cary, North Carolina.
