PRO KIDS, FIRST TEE SAN DIEGO

Pro Kids was founded in 1994 by former AFL/NFL player Ernest H. Wright, Sr. and a group of community leaders, who saw the game of golf as a way to help underserved youth develop the character and life skills required to find success in school and in life. In 2012, a second location was opened in Oceanside. Ernie passed in 2007, but his passion for helping kids succeed in life continues. Since 1994, Pro Kids has seen more than 25,000 kids’ lives transformed through values intrinsic to the game of golf – honesty, confidence, and respect.

Pro Kids is part of First Tee, an international youth development organization founded by the PGA and other associations to advance the game of golf. First Tee modeled much of the founding programming after Pro Kids and in 1998, Pro Kids became a charter member therefore adopting the name Pro Kids, First Tee – San Diego. The mission of Pro Kids, First Tee –San Diego is to challenge underserved youth to excel in life by promoting character development, life skills, and values through education and the game of golf. Through a set of programs that combine sport, study, and service, they provide youth grades 2-12 with access to opportunities that set them on a path to success in adulthood. Since its inception in 1999, more than $2.5 million in scholarships has been awarded to Pro Kids Scholars, many of whom are the first in their family to pursue higher education.

Pro Kids serves as a welcoming home to kids across San Diego with primary program locations in City Heights and Oceanside. They believe that all kids deserve the opportunity to reach their full potential – to become Pro Kids. 45% of their enrolled youth receive income-based or military status scholarships covering program membership fees, strengthening their promise to provide impactful educational and enrichment services to San Diego’s most vulnerable and challenged youth.

Learn more about Pro Kids, First Tee – San Diego at thefirstteesandiego.org.

Vanc

Veterans Association of North County, (VANC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created and operated by Veterans as a one-stop resource center for all active-duty military, Veterans, and their families. They seek to honor and support those who have served our country, bridging the past, present, and future. VANC is a vibrant gathering place in North San Diego County, where all Veterans, active-duty military, and their families can reach out for help and community. VANC seeks to be a model for other organizations that serve the military community. VANC operates day to day primarily through volunteer support, with more than 8000 donated hours during 2022. Four of these volunteers are Veteran Service Reprentatives providing expert assistance in filing and navigating complex VA disability claims.

VANC serves local veterans and active duty service personal. In 2022 VANC provided monthly food distribution and dispersed nearly 500,000 diapers to over 34,000 personnel, 91% going to active duty members and their families. VANC has over 200 training programs for transiting service members, host massive toy drives and recently completed the construction/ landscaping of an Honor Wall and community event space. Currently, VANC has its sights on increasing its ability to close the gap of active duty service members in need of assistance; reduce its carbon footprint through solar initiatives and expand our annual golf tournament on Camp Pendleton scheduled for September 22, 2023.

Our generous local community continues to fund VANC. Remarkably, none of our services receives any state or federal assistance. Go to www.vanc.me for more details about VANC.