When First Tee chapters set out to serve young people, they don’t do it alone. The 2025 Barbara A. Douglas and Dr. William J. Powell Community Award winners demonstrate how strategic community partnerships can transform lives and strengthen entire communities.
These three chapters share the common understanding that meaningful impact requires more than programming. It requires building authentic relationships with schools, community organizations and local institutions that share First Tee’s commitment to youth development.
Meeting youth where they are
First Tee – Greater Richmond has mastered the art of bringing golf and life skills directly into students’ daily lives. Through their partnership with Henrico County Public Schools, the chapter hosts over 25 Title I field trips each school year. But they’ve taken accessibility even further with Anna Julia Cooper School, a charter school in Richmond’s East End. What started as a pilot program in 2023 now allows middle school students to select golf as an elective and travel to First Tee’s facilities for immersive curriculum delivery.
The results speak volumes: In 2024, First Tee – Greater Richmond reached more than 70,000 kids and teens, with female participation growing to 42% and over 60% of participants representing ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Leading with representation
First Tee – Birmingham understands that inclusion starts with who’s leading the program. The chapter has intentionally built a leadership structure that reflects the communities it serves, with a diverse board and coaching staff, partnering with HBCUs like Miles College to build this pipeline. It outpaces the First Tee network average, with more than 40% of participants coming from underserved communities, as defined by the Distressed Communities Index.
Through community partnerships with Birmingham City Schools, i3 Academy and the Birmingham Housing Authority, the chapter brings programming directly to students who need it most. Full program scholarships for families who qualify for free and reduced lunch ensure that financial barriers never prevent participation.
Scaling through strategic collaboration
Under the leadership of executive director Henry Pointer, the first African American PGA Professional from Louisiana, First Tee – East Baton Rouge Parish has increased participation by over 110% in just three years.
“Most of our community programs are located in underrepresented areas of the city,” Pointer said. “The fact that I grew up in a community such as that gave me the opportunity to play a part in impacting kids in those areas is a huge benefit to me.”
Its partnership with Baton Rouge Recreation and Parks provides access to five public golf courses, office space and paid staff at no cost to First Tee. But BREC benefits too: First Tee provides valuable data that helps it gain and maintain accreditations.
The chapter’s comprehensive partnership portfolio includes the 100 Black Men, Empower 225, four YMCA locations, the Louisiana National Guard summer youth camp and the Baton Rouge Youth Coalition.
The power of sustainable partnerships
What sets these chapters apart isn’t just the number of partnerships they’ve formed but the intentionality behind them. They seek organizations with similar missions, build relationships that benefit all parties and commit to ongoing engagement.
Community partnerships don’t just expand reach but deepen impact, one young person at a time. The Barbara A. Douglas and Dr. William J. Powell Community Award is presented in partnership with Golf Digest, which will make donations to support the efforts of all three winning chapters.