Portland, OR. The 16th Annual Wine and Golf Ball raised over $210,000 for The Children’s Course/The First Tee of Greater Portland. Originally, the event was scheduled for the same night and was to include a live auction, dinner and wine tasting at the Downtown Hilton. Due to the COVID 19 outbreak and subsequent “Stay at Home” order, the April 15th benefit became a virtual gala. It was live-streamed using Vimeo and broadcast on YouTube.
The Children’s Course is a non-profit and is funded by private donations from foundations, corporations, and individuals. The golf course is home to the First Tee of Greater Portland, which provides young people with character-building and life skills lessons using golf as the platform.
The Children’s Course is nestled between the Clackamas and Willamette Rivers in Gladstone. It originally opened for play as Rivergreens Golf Course in 1961 as an 18-hole, par 3 course. In 1989, following the development of apartments on the perimeter, the course was redesigned into a 9-hole, par 3 course.
If you missed your chance during the virtual event, we welcome any donation. There are opportunities still available on our website, wineandgolfball.com. You can still help support our participants and our programs directly through purchasing a Club Fitting for a Child, Supply Nutritious Snacks or Fill-er Up to buy gas for our van to transport the kids.
We are overjoyed and thankful for youth like Griffin who started First Tee classes at eight years of age, and found it challenging to interact with other kids his age or adults in his day to day activities. Now 15 and a volunteer junior coach, Griffin credits the life skills he learned at The Children’s Course / First Tee of Greater Portland with developing the respectful and charismatic individual he is today. Thank you for your generosity as it will help continue to make dreams come true for youth at The Children’s Course, where we coach the THRIVE Mentor Program, Girls Golf, and First Tee of Greater Portland, and our seven additional First Tee sites throughout Portland and Eugene.
Construction continues on our new Learning Center that opens this fall. We will double the number of youth and provide year-round programming and mentorship. The future looks bright, and because of your kindness, we will continue to impact children positively year-round at The Children’s Course and throughout Portland and Eugene.
The mailing address for The Children’s Course is 19825 River Road, Gladstone, OR 97027.
