WGA Caddie Academy Awarded $125,000 From PGA TOUR to Support Programming That Reaches Underserved and Underrepresented Youth

To date, 118 Caddie Academy graduates have been awarded the Evans Scholarship.

NNPA NEWSWIRE — “For young people who don’t have access to caddie programs where they live, the WGA Caddie Academy offers a supportive community and an opportunity to experience the benefits that caddying provides,” said John Kaczkowski, President and CEO of the WGA and Evans Scholars Foundation. “As we expand this life-changing initiative, these funds will help us reach more students nationwide and instill in them the core values that will guide them on the golf course and throughout their lives.”

 Korn Ferry Tour’s NV5 Invitational Wins Inaugural PGA TOUR Charity Challenge

 (Source blackpressUSA):

  BlackPONTE VEDRA BEACH, FL & GLENVIEW, ILL – The PGA TOUR announced that the Western Golf Association (WGA) Caddie Academy is the recipient of a $125,000 award. The nonprofit organization, headquartered in Chicago, was selected by the NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank – a Korn Ferry Tour event contested at The Glen Club in Glenview, Illinois – as the charitable beneficiary of the inaugural PGA TOUR Charity Challenge.

Founded in 2012, the WGA Caddie Academy is a unique summer work program that provides caddie opportunities to promising high school students from around the country who show academic excellence and leadership potential. This past summer, more than 140 participants attended one of five Caddie Academy chapters nationwide to caddie daily for seven weeks while living together. After successfully completing three summers, these students become eligible to apply for the Evans Scholarship – a full tuition and housing scholarship to college.

“For young people who don’t have access to caddie programs where they live, the WGA Caddie Academy offers a supportive community and an opportunity to experience the benefits that caddying provides,” said John Kaczkowski, President and CEO of the WGA and Evans Scholars Foundation. “As we expand this life-changing initiative, these funds will help us reach more students nationwide and instill in them the core values that will guide them on the golf course and throughout their lives.”

The Caddie Academy began in the Chicago area with an initial group of 12 participants. Today, it has grown to five chapters nationwide, with a sixth location to open in Ohio next summer. Current chapters include:

Caddie Academy for Young Women (Lake Forest, Illinois)

Caddie Academy for Young Men (Evanston, Illinois)

Eastern Caddie Academy (State College, Pennsylvania)

Minnesota Caddie Academy (Minneapolis, Minnesota)

Seattle Caddie Academy (Seattle, Washington) Participants are chosen during their freshman year of high school based on showing outstanding academics, leadership, and character. The average household income of participants in the Caddie Academy is $30,000, and more than 90% of the program’s participants are students of color.

The Caddie Academy’s structured summer program is centered on four major components: caddying, academic development, community involvement and personal growth. Students get the opportunity to earn money, meet role models, learn invaluable life lessons, and eventually earn a college scholarship. To date, 118 Caddie Academy graduates have been awarded the Evans Scholarship.

During the 2021-22 PGA TOUR season, as part of the PGA TOUR Charity Challenge, host organizations across the PGA TOUR, Korn Ferry Tour and PGA TOUR Champions had the opportunity to select a local charitable beneficiary with specific programs and services that address diversity, equity, and inclusion in underserved or underrepresented comm-unities.

Every week, the amount of FedExCup points each tournament’s eight-player fantasy-style roster earned was totaled, and the team with the highest total each week won a $5,000 contribution to its charitable beneficiary. Each team’s FedExCup points were counted throughout the 2021-22 PGA TOUR season, and the team with the highest accumulation after the BMW Championship was crowned the season-long winner, earning the top prize of $100,000 for its charitable partner.

The NV5 Invitational earned $25,000 throughout the season and the Charity Challenge grand prize of $100,000.

About Carma Henry 24481 Articles
Carma Lynn Henry Westside Gazette Newspaper 545 N.W. 7th Terrace, Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33311 Office: (954) 525-1489 Fax: (954) 525-1861

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