"Consider the children first in all that you do."
Those words formed Mary Ranken Jordan's favorite quote. On April 9, 1941, Mrs. Jordan founded what is now known as Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital, a unique, state-of-the-art facility designed to help children heal physically, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally, so they can return home safely. Eighty years after her vision began, those words are still evident each and every day at 11365 Dorsett Road in Maryland Heights, Missouri. For those wondering, yes, the street number has significance -- 1 mission, 1 child at a time, 365 days a year. Over the past 10 years I have had the privilege and honor to be a small part of that.
Ten years ago on May 10, we held our very first junior golf clinic at Ranken Jordan. It would be the first clinic of what quickly became a life-altering experience for me. When the junior golf clinics at Ranken Jordan first started, I really had no clue what I was doing, I simply wanted to use golf to help medically complex children and their families heal faster and better. That was it, the goal was really that simple. Last year I was asked what the goal of our program is, and the answer is still the same -- "put smiles on the faces of the kids and help them heal." Now, here we are, over 520 junior golf clinics and more importantly, over 5,000 children helped, later, on our 10 year anniversary. This is the point that I could start telling stories about the kids, what we have seen, how golf has helped the kids, what the game has done for the families, or how the hospital has changed. However if somebody got me started on that I might never stop talking. Over the past 10 years I have seen miracles at Ranken Jordan. Some of these have involved golf and some have not, but I have seen miracles. I cannot begin to tell you how grateful and appreciative I am for the opportunity I have to spend time every week with the kids and staff at Ranken Jordan. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
There are no words to describe what the last 10 years at Ranken Jordan have meant to me. The children, their families, staff, administration, board of directors, and donors, are all simply the best. Ranken Jordan is a one-of-a-kind facility, and all of those included in the groups I just mentioned are one-of-a-kind as well. Thanks to all of those associated in any way with Ranken Jordan, over the past 10 years I have grown and improved as a person. I can state without a doubt I would not be who I am today without our weekly golf clinics at Ranken Jordan. There have been very few weeks during these 10 years that someone has not mentioned how much golf means to the kids at Ranken Jordan. I never hesitate to tell them that the kids do far more for me than I could do for them. Unbeknownst to them, the kids have lifted me up when I needed it the most, and have provided support at times when smiles were very hard to come by. They taught lessons that I did not know I needed to learn, but the education was necessary. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
In 10 years there are countless people who have provided support to allow for the success we have had with the junior golf program at Ranken Jordan. I hesitate to mention anybody specifically because there is no way I could do so without forgetting someone who has been (and continues to be) an integral part of our program, but do want to mention four people. Dana Dempsey with Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children took a phone call from a crazy PGA Professional in St. Louis, Missouri, and generously gave that guy a couple of hours on the phone talking about how to make a program like this successful. Josh Riley with the PGA of America (formerly the Executive Director of the Gateway PGA Section) stepped up and provided funding support and equipment through what was then the Gateway PGA Foundation. John Bryan with U.S. Kids Golf never hesitated in providing discounted prices on the absolute best junior golf equipment. And then there is Janine Roe. She agreed to a meeting with an insane guy who wanted to start a junior golf program at Ranken Jordan, and she never wavered in her belief that it would be beneficial to the kids. Ten years later I am beyond thankful to call these amazing people friends, and grateful that they are only a phone call away for help when I need it! For all of the other hundreds of people who have helped along the way, and continue to help, thank you, thank you, thank you.
Each year as we draw closer to the anniversary of the junior golf program at Ranken Jordan I am reminded of the only aspect of it I wish I had done differently -- I wish I had started it sooner. The reason for this is very, very simple -- I wish my Mother had been able to see it. You see, both of my parents were in education, my Dad being a high school math teacher and my Mom being the board of education secretary, and both enjoyed nothing more than helping children. My Mother also greatly enjoyed volunteering her time to the local hospital to help raise critically needed funds. As she laid in her bed at Siteman Cancer Center and less than two weeks before that damn disease called cancer would take my Mother from us, I told her about what was going to happen at Ranken Jordan, what her little boy was going to do there. And she smiled, the same big, beautiful smile we were all used to seeing from her, but that had become less frequent. We lost my Mom 63 days before the first junior golf clinic. Ten years and more than 520 junior golf clinics later, I can only hope she is looking down and smiling with pride.
This has been a much longer than average post for me, but I believe the situation allows for that. If you have stuck with me this long I appreciate it (I had to take breaks typing so thank you for hanging in there this long)! Thank you to everyone at Ranken Jordan who allow me to show up every Wednesday afternoon to spend time with the kids. Thank you to all of you who have provided support in any capacity during the past 10 years (and I hope for continued support for unlimited years ahead). Most importantly, thank you to the kids and their families for allowing me to be a small part of their healing journey. Each and every one of you has provided me with so much; I hope that I have been able to provide something to you in return. Ten years have flown by in the blink of an eye and I look forward to what the next ten years (and more) have in store for us
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