March 6, 2010
GAINESVILLE, FL. –
More than 19 teams of golfers will hit the green on March 6 to raise scholarship money for at-risk kids in the Gainesville area.
AMIkids-Gainesville is still looking for more teams to enter its fifth-annual Golf Fore Kids golfing tournament, held at Ironwood Golf Course, according to Amy Griffin, chairwoman of the golf committee.
The nonprofit youth development program helps at-risk teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18, she said.
The year-round program provides rehabilitative and educational programs for community juvenile offenders, according to John Davidson, executive director of AMIkids-Gainesville.
He said the young adults generally attend the program for four to six months, and that 71 percent of the students have no further violations with the law after the program is completed.
AMIkids-Gainesville currently has 52 students enrolled, Davidson said.
Money raised at the golf tournament will become scholarships for the rehabilitated youth, motivating them to graduate high school and continue their education, according to Griffin.
Registration is $60 per person and $200 per team of four. The entry fee includes green fees, a bucket of range balls, refreshments and lunch catered by Chick-fil-A.
The number of teams already registered exceeds the total that competed in last year’s fundraiser, and Griffin said she is accepting registrations until the day of this year’s event.
She said no golfer will be turned away.
The golf tournament will feature a raffle. Prizes include a football signed by Urban Meyer and a football signed by the team.
The AMIkids-Gainesville school is in Micanopy, about 10 miles south of Gainesville, according to Griffin.
AMIkids-Gainesville, founded in 1991, relies on private donations to fund scholarships and maintain the organization’s ropes course, Griffin said.
The program is also funded by the Alachua County School Board, the Marion County School Board and Florida’s Department of Juvenile Justice.
The two school boards pay to educate those in the program, and the department pays the organization to enroll the teenagers and provide behavior modification, Davidson said.
He said behavior modification involves rewarding positive behavior while holding the young people accountable for negative behavior.
Davidson said most of the employees at AMIkids-Gainesville became involved in the organization because they had a passion for helping youth.
“Most of us were knuckleheads when we were kids,” Davidson said. “So we get it, and we know how to help.”
For more information on the golf tournament, visit http://amikids.org/Gainesville.aspx or contact Davidson at 352-258-8018.
