My first job was as a caddie. I was 12. It was a country club course. By keeping my eyes and ears open, I learned a lot about betting and swearing.
These days, I connect golf with scholarships. The Front Range Community College Foundation Create a Future Invitational Golf Tournament took place this month at Heritage Todd Creek in Thornton. I’d like to thank the sponsors, share two photos from this year’s event (taken by my colleague Jay Demore), and give you an idea how important scholarships are in the lives of students.
Scholarships can be life-changing. DebiSue Polsley’s life changed because of a head injury. Then it changed again with a scholarship. As she told the golfers last year, she enrolled at Front Range with much trepidation.
“I was scared to death, worse than junior high,” she said. “I was shaking as I walked into Holly Godfrey’s Sociology 101 class.”
The shaking stopped almost instantly.
“Here was a woman who seemed to want me to succeed,” DebiSue said. “From day one throughout the semester, she consistently demonstrated that her goal was my success. For the first time in years, someone said ‘you are smart enough, DebiSue.’ As the semester went on, each professor I encountered genuinely believed in me.”
DebiSue knew others believe in her, too.
“The benefactors who contributed to my scholarship are heroes. Without you, I may never have known that I was capable.”
DebiSue graduated in May – magna cum laude.
This year’s goal was $50,000. At Front Range, that’s 50 scholarships. With the help of Double Eagle Sponsors FWA Group, FirstBank, and Adolfson & Peterson Construction, we made our goal. There will be more DebiSue Polsleys having their lives changed at Front Range Community College.