CHATHAM, N.J. (July 31, 2007) - Youngsters who participate in The First Tee of Essex County program were treated to very special Day at Fairmount Country Club in Chatham, N.J., on Monday, July 30th. About 30 kids took part in a First Tee Day organized by Fairmount member and MGA Vice President Al Small.  Students from the nearby First Tee facility at Weequahic Park as well as several players from The First Tee of Metropolitan New York’s facility at Mosholu Golf Course were each paired with three supporters from New Jersey clubs and corporations in an 18-hole scramble over Fairmount’s pristine layout. The golf was followed by a reception and ice cream sundae station - “the best part of the day,” noted one young golfer. About 58 supporters participated in the event which netted more than $10,000 in support for the Met Area’s newest First Tee site.

The First Tee of Essex County at Weequahic Park is a joint venture of the MGA Foundation, New Jersey PGA Section and New Jersey State Golf Association and opened for operation in August of 2006. In its first full season it will expose as many as 1,500 students to the game of golf and its Core Value/Life Skills training programs. The abundance of “high fives” and handshakes seen throughout the golf course on Monday seem to indicate the positive impact the program is already having on Newark youth. For the supporters, writing a check was only part of it. As one player put it after his round with his young partner, a First Tee student, “Now, I get it!”

The MGA Foundation is now involved with five First Tee sites throughout the Metropolitan Area and has partnered with the Met PGA to create The First Tee of Metropolitan New York which jointly operates the First Tee facilities at Mosholu Golf Course in The Bronx, N.Y., Eisenhower Park on Long Island and Chelsea Piers in Manhattan. The MGA Foundation and Met PGA have also partnered with the First Tee of Connecticut to establish The First Tee Fairchild Wheeler in Bridgeport, Conn.

For information on how you can support The First Tee of Metropolitan New York, or any other MGA Foundation Programs, contact the MGA Foundation at 914-347-4653 or visit our Web site at www.mgagolf.org.