ROCK ISLAND, Illinois -- With the 49th John Deere Classic about to be underway, people all over the country are coming to the Quad Cities to take in the event.
Monday morning, three young ladies from across the country arrived to take part in an event with students at the Spring Forward Learning Center at Ridgewood Elementary School. These women are recipients of the “First Tee” John Deere Power for Good 2019 Scholarship.
“First Tee” is an organization that awards teens across the country for their golf game and their community service.
It’s no doubt kids like to use their imagination, and at the event at Ridgewood students were able to let their creativity run wild.
Their assignment was to create a life cycle of a made-up animal, with the help of the three scholarships recipients – one of those, is Mombo Ngu, a recipient from Florida.
“Being exposed in the “First Tee” Program, to interact and learn more about an environment and a community that I am not from and grow as a person – it’s just a wonderful experience for me,” says Ngu.
“It’s more than their golf qualifications,” says “First Tee” Sponsorship Manager, John Watson. “It’s what they’ve done in their communities, what they’ve done in their specific chapters, and what they’ve done in their school. So, it’s about them being a well-rounded individual and not just their golf capabilities.”
To Ngu, her 11 years of golf experience is only a fraction of what the scholarship means to her.
“It was not like I was lucky and go this,” says Ngu. “No, I worked hard for it and it’s possible to be in any situation n life and get to the point that you deserve to be.”
A point she hopes the kids at Ridgewood will reach one day with their wild and crazy ideas.
This is the first year “First Tee” has teamed up with the Spring Forward Learning Center.
Ngu will be attending the University of Florida next fall.
This is the second year in a row all the recipients have been women.