Students work toward making tourney a success
FARMINGTON – After two years of organizing the 84 Lumber Classic PGA tournament at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa, event directors wanted to find a way to get area children more involved. Now, in the third year of competition, directors have found a way to involve area youth in the growing annual event, by partnering with area school districts to conduct the Kids Ecology Program.
“We started out trying to find ways to get kids involved,” said program director Wanda Anker. “We now have two programs for the kids, our First Tee Program and the ecology program. And in this we define ecology as fun, doing outside golf course-related projects at Mystic Rock, the festival and concert areas.”
Anker, who spearheaded the effort to involve area children in the burgeoning event, said that although this is the first year the program has been conducted, more than 325 area children will participate.
She said ecology projects range from setting up trash collection stations to wiping down bleachers.
It is projects like that, mixed with getting an opportunity to enjoy the atmosphere of the classic and enjoy some of the food served at the event that Anker said has made the new program an early success.
Anker said groups from the Laurel Highlands School District’s travel and tourism academy and the Fayette County Vocational Technical School’s lodging and hospitality program are also involved, working closely with resort staff to incorporate hospitality skills into the program.
And Anker said it is not just schools participating in the event, noting that youth sports leagues from Hopwood are also involved.
She said students from A.J. McMullen School came down Wednesday for a three-hour program, during which the students cleaned tables and bleachers and then had lunch in Mr. Hardy’s chair box.
“Joe had lunch with the kids and they were essentially VIPs for an hour,” said Anker.
Anker said for every five students on the grounds there is a parent or teacher chaperone watching the youths, and added that everyone from the players to the tournament staff have been impressed with the children.
“This is an opportunity to experience what it takes to keep an event like this clean and getting to have some fun at the same time,” Anker said.