NWO Golf Links February 2016

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The First Tee of Lake Erie is involved in
teaching young people nine core values
through the game of golf. In conjunction
with the Toledo Public School system they
currently reach over 10,000 students.
They also realize that some children have
special needs or limited physical abilities. In
an effort to effectively teach these children,
The First Tee of Lake Erie sent two of its local
coaches, David Sanford, fromCrosswinds Golf
Club in Perrysburg and Chuck Benes, from
Oak Harbor Golf Club, to a First Tee training
class for Special Needs Children hosted by
First Tee of The Palm Beaches in Florida.
The two-day curriculum included communica-
tion skills and stressed thinking outside the box
to make the subject fun and easy for students
to understand. Drills and teaching techniques
were introduced for children with limited mo-
tor skills or learning disabilities.
Benes and Sanford were also invited to spend
an extra day of training at the Els Center for
Excellence in Jupiter Beach, Florida, that
opened its doors in August, 2015. Its mission
is to develop and deliver treatment therapies,
educational programs, training programs,
and sports programs, as well as, residential
and independent living programs for autistic
children. It was created via funds generated
by the Els For Autism Foundation.
Ernie and Liezl Els’ son, Ben, was diagnosed
with autism in 2009. He is the catalyst for
developing this one-of-a-kind educational
facility to help autistic children learn to
become productive and independent
individuals.
Sanford said of the day spent at the Els Center for
Excellence, “Beingat theElsCenter forExcellence
was an awesome experience. We learned so
much in a short time, everyone wished we had
more time allotted to spend there.”
TheFirstTeeof LakeErie is continuing toexpand
its reach in northwest Ohio and southeast
Michigan. Its teaching programs are aimed at
not only teaching golf to young people, but
also passing on the nine core values of life to
help our youth become better citizens.
For more information or to make a donation
visit:
scripts/public/public.asp?NS=PUBLIC
Local First Tee Coaches Attend
Training for Children with
Special Needs
NWO Golf Links