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| Dominick Ferrante, 16, attends Walt Whitman High School in Huntington Station, New York. He has been a participant at The First Tee of Nassau County in Long Island for three years. Dominick looks at The First Tee as a second family. When he was seven-years-old, his parents divorced and his mom became severely depressed. Later diagnosed as a manic depressive, Dominick witnessed several suicide attempts by his mother. Dominick’s father, Douglas, moved back to care for him and his younger sister, Brittany, who is also a participant with The First Tee. Much of his father’s salary goes toward medical costs to help care for his mother. The little amount of money originally set aside for college has disappeared. With the help of The First Tee, Dominick has learned to manage the things he can control, like his emotions. He has also developed reachable goals and made the high school golf team and is also on the honor roll. Dominick’s father has been pleased with his progress and now volunteers at the Chapter. Not too long ago, Dominick’s mother visited the Chapter and watched her two children play golf for the first time. |
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| Katrina “Katie” Hickey, 16, is a junior at Mansfield High School. She is an Eagle-certified participant at The First Tee of Fort Smith, Arkansas and has been a member of the Chapter for four years. Katie has had to overcome many obstacles in her young life. Her mother struggled with alcoholism, and at the age of four, the courts took her away from her mother. Between the ages of 4-6, Katie lived in five different foster homes in several states. At age six, Katie’s grandparents fought for custody of her and became her legal guardians. Katie was angry with her mother and could not understand why her mother loved alcohol more than her. During her first year living with her grandparents, she was often in trouble at school. Although very intelligent, she showed anger at school by destroying school property and was a bully to everyone. She rebelled against discipline. Her grandparents never gave up on her and enrolled her in The First Tee, which gave her a feeling of acceptance. Today she is a completely different person, caring and showing respect for others, and is an honest and responsible person. Katie is on track to graduate and would like to attend college. She is a stronger person because of the support and love from her grandparents, and she would give anything in the world for her grandparents to see her graduate from college. |
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Donnie Ray Black, 18, is a four-year participant of The First Tee of Pittsburgh. He has faced many hardships and taken on huge responsibilities that most teenagers never experience. Coming from a troubled home, Donnie was forced to assume the role as head of the household. When his mother’s illness caused her to be unable to work, Donnie took on jobs to help cover bills and to feed and care for his younger siblings. He has overcome extreme obstacles yet continued to stay in school and looks forward to graduating. He aspires to be a great role model for his younger brothers and dreams of attending college. |
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Eric Dobmeier, from The First Tee of Charlottesville, has been a member of The First Tee for three years. Though he was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis at infancy, he refuses to allow it to be a controlling factor in his life. Through treatments, medications, and intense workouts, he has taken responsibility for maintaining his health and keeping his CF in check. He maintains a positive outlook and is always eager to lend a hand to The First Tee staff, coaches and participants. He is currently Birdie-certified and working as a volunteer coach with The First Tee of Charlottesville. Eric stays busy with sports, carpentry, his lawn care business, and his 1976 BMW. He dreams of attending trade school and restoring older model automobiles. |
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Kamio Espindola, 15, has been a participant of The First Tee of Phoenix since 2006. She has overcome frequent peer pressure to use drugs, drop out of school, and to join gangs. Since joining The First Tee, her involvement has given her the confidence and leadership skills to become a true leader. She takes honors classes and has received the President’s Award for good grades. She believes, and wants to help others understand, that when you have a goal or passion, nothing should stand in your way of achieving it. |
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Victoria Gillespie, 18, graduated from Nolan Catholic High School last month and was a member of the varsity golf team. She has been a participant at The First Tee of Forth Worth for three years. Victoria was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare form of cancer, when she was 11. While battling the cancer with chemotherapy and radiation treatments for nearly seven months, she was home schooled in sixth grade. All was well until she was set to begin the 10th grade at a new school in Forth Worth. Her cancer had reoccurred and she bravely faced another rigorous round of treatments. With the support of her family and friends, she is now once again happy and healthy. Victoria was a member of the National Honor Society and was selected to attend the 2008 Congressional Student Leadership Conference of Medicine and Health Care, and the Scholar Athlete Games at the University of Rhode Island. Last summer, she had the honor of speaking at her Chapter’s dedication ceremony for the Ben Hogan Learning Center. Her goal is to pursue a degree in pediatric oncology and hematology. She will be attending the University of Oklahoma this fall. |
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Jarrett Link, 17, has been a participant at The First Tee of Greater Sacramento for nine years. Born with severe leg deformities, which caused his feet to point directly backwards, doctors felt he would never walk. Jarrett proved them wrong, but walked with a limp throughout his childhood, sometimes ridiculed by his peers. Limited to non-contact sports, he began playing golf when he was eight, but had to use a cart. After enduring numerous invasive surgeries and rehab on his legs, he was able to walk a full 18 holes in a Chapter tournament. With support along the way from Chapter staff, fellow participants and volunteers, he proudly carries a 2.0 handicap and an impressive 4.71 GPA. His goal is to study biomedical engineering at Duke University. |
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| Kathleen Rojas, 14, a sophomore at Turlock Christian High School in California, has been a participant at The First Tee of Modesto for five years. As a child, she suffered burns on her left arm, chest and face. The severe burns left visible scarring on her left arm. Over the years she has overcome people staring at her arm, although it has not discouraged her from participating in activities with other children. In fact, she plays on the boys’ golf team since her school does not have a girls’ team. These challenges, along with a family illness and limited resources, have not slowed Kathleen down as she continues to improve her game and stay active in church and school. She feels attending college will be a highlight in her life. |
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Kenneth Sabo is a Birdie-certified participant at The First Tee of Akron and has been a member of the Chapter since the summer of 2006. Kenneth, an upbeat high school senior, confronts attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a mental handicap and a speech impediment as part of everyday life. Always courteous and respectful, his participation in The First Tee, especially support from The First Tee coaches, has made him a more confident person. He was recently awarded the 2008 Perseverance Award by The First Tee of Akron. He enjoys working outdoors and is considering landscaping or working at a golf course. Kenneth also has an interest in mechanical repair and wants to attend an auto vocational school. |
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Marc Thompson, 17, has been a member of The First Tee of Philadelphia since the summer of 2005. Marc, who never picked up a golf club before joining The First Tee, struggled for years to overcome an absentee father and severe depression which led to two suicide attempts. While going through this emotional distress, he felt the need to hang around with an older crowd in a tough section of Philadelphia to fill the void of not having a father. Since joining The First Tee, and being exposed to positive role models, he has learned many valuable lessons about life, and now even mentors younger participants at the Chapter. His involvement with The First Tee has made him a more positive person and broadened his outlook on life and future education. He looks forward to using his past experiences to help other young men and women that are growing up without a father, and aspires to become a dentist. |
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