"Anytime you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don't, then you are wasting your time on Earth." --Roberto Clemente
It should not come as a surprise to many people that baseball is my favorite sport, so it seemed fitting to me that I start this post with my favorite quote from one of my favorite ball players. While I never had a chance to watch Roberto Clemente play in person, he has always been someone I look up to. I do so for reasons other than the brilliant player he was who showed off his canon of an arm in game 6 of the 1971 World Series, or the amazing hitter who stood on 2nd base after doubling off Jon Matlack on September 30, 1972 for his 3,000th and final hit. Clemente was certainly one of the greatest baseball players to ever live, but I take my inspiration from him from the man he was off the field.
For the past 12 years, May 10 has been a day I look forward to each year with great excitement and appreciation. It was 12 years ago on this date that I walked into Ranken Jordan Pediatric Bridge Hospital for the second time -- the first had been a couple of months earlier to plan the junior golf program that would begin on May 10, 2011. For some reason, Janine Roe believed in a crazy PGA Professional who wanted to start a weekly, year-round junior golf program at Ranken Jordan. Fast forward 12 years from that day and I never would have imagined what our junior golf program has turned into, and the impact it has had on so many children and their families.
Starting with our very first junior golf clinic, we have maintained the exact same primary goal -- make the kids smile. More than 5,000 kids have come through our junior golf clinics and I feel we have been very successful in achieving that goal. Many of the kids at Ranken Jordan have never had the opportunity to play sports of any kind, but they are shown that they can play golf, and we do our best to make sure they have fun doing it! The hospital's "Care Beyond the Bedside" model is on full display every Wednesday afternoon, as is Mary Ranken Jordan's favorite quote, "consider the children first in all you do." We all owe Mrs. Jordan a debt of gratitude for starting this amazing facility, and I think she would be ecstatic with the miracles happening there every day.
When talking to people about the junior golf program at Ranken Jordan, people often hear me say that Wednesday is my favorite day each week and the kids do far more for me than I could ever do for them. Both of those statements are completely true! Spending every Wednesday afternoon with the kids is an incredible honor, and I have never left Ranken Jordan when I did not feel that I got more from the day than the kids did. I cannot wait to get back there each week and am always grateful for the support of so many wonderful people and friends who have made the program the success that it is. Thank you to each and every person who has volunteered, donated, supported, offered words of encouragement, and so much more. All of your generosity has allowed so many kids and their families to heal through golf!
As this date drew nearer, I found myself constantly thinking that there is no way this is already the 12th "Trip Around the Sun" (as Jimmy Buffett would sing) for this program. Fortunately, when I look in the mirror I am reminded of another Jimmy Buffett song line when he says "wrinkles only go where the smiles have been." This means we have created plenty of smiles for the kids, their families, staff, and volunteers, and hopefully have improved their lives through golf. Twelve years is just the beginning and I am ready for many, many more! Hopefully over these 12 years I have done my little part in living up to Roberto Clemente's quote, and in doing so, hope that my Mom has watched each and every junior golf clinic from high above with a smile on her face.
