Heart of First Tee Celebration & Dinner
Thursday, February 13 | 5:30-8:00pm
Maketewah Country Club
Mark Your Calendar
There are so many people that make First Tee – GCNKY successful and impactful in our community. We’ve started an annual awards dinner – the Heart of First Tee Awards – to celebrate our coaches, volunteers, teachers, and partners who helped us throughout the past year. Registration details are coming soon!
About the Tom & Melissa Briner Heart of First Tee – GCNKY Award
There are many words and contexts that describe a heart. Hearts are central, they are vital, and they are strong. Heartbeats are steady and a source of energy. People are the heartbeat of an organization. Those with big hearts are generous; they care, nurture, encourage, and inspire. Said more simply, they love. Those who embrace these qualities live out the essence of the mission every day. Tom and Melissa Briner have been the mission in action since founding our chapter in 2006. They are our heartbeat. The Tom & Melissa Briner Heart of First Tee GCNKY Award was established to recognize those who embody the ideals and commitment of the Briners to reach more children and positively impact their lives through the game of golf.
At the event, we will also celebrate the recipients of the following Chapter Awards:
Teacher of the Year
Volunteer of the Year
Coach of the Year
Partner of the Year
Awardees and their guests will attend with the Chapter’s compliments.
2023-24 Award Recipients
Tom & Melissa Briner Heart of First Tee GCNKY Award
ALICIAN YUND
Former Chapter Executive Director and Level 3 coach
Teacher of the Year:
BRADLEY FLETCHER
Amanda Elementary | Middletown
Coach of the Year
EMILIE MATTEI
Neumann Golf Course
Volunteer of the Year
DAMON
Partner of the Year
CINCINNATI RECREATION COMMISSION
Daniel Betz, Rob Higby (Director of Golf) et al.
Rita S. Metcalfe Scholarship
Benefiting Our Game Changers
Pillars of the Greater Cincinnati Community, Taylor Metcalf and his late wife, Rita, were avid golfers and advocates for youth in our community. When life took a dramatic turn for them, their commitment to helping never wavered. We are sincerely grateful and humbled that as of this year, 29 seniors will have benefited from the family’s generosity since 2018!
2023-24 Rita S. Metcalfe Scholarship Recipients
Larkyn Angell | Little Miami High School –> Sinclair Community College
Brandon Campling | Villa Madonna Academy –> Clemson University
Henry Mentzel | Walnut Hills High School –> University of Kentucky
Caroline Zerhusen | Walnut Hills High School –> Xavier University