On September 29 community members and Power 4 Youth teens will be able to enjoy a spirited afternoon of mini-golf in an effort to raise much-needed funds for the Power 4 Youth mentorship program, a nonprofit organization seeking to empower underserved adolescents and teens in Long Beach. The 4th Annual Mini-Golf Tournament will take place at Boomers in Fountain Valley starting at 3:00PM.
The tournament will be organized like a golf tournament, with teams of four competing for the lowest score, among other prizes. Power 4 Youth teens will manage each hole and assist tournament participants. Afterward, golfers can replenish their energy with an Italian dinner, enjoy an awards ceremony for the winners and participate in a silent auction.
Val Parker, founder and Executive Director of Power 4 Youth since its inception 15 years ago, explained the importance of academic mentoring as a way to resolve the issues preventing the students from doing well academically. “Tutoring is not the goal, the goal is to help the kids do better in school. Rarely does the issue have anything to do with math or social studies, but maybe it’s the study skills, maybe it’s motivation, maybe they just needed someone to pay more attention to them,” Parker said.
Since 1999, more than 300 primarily low-income students have received academic mentoring as well as assistance in resolving the issues holding them back in school. Power 4 Youth has grown from a small program of six kids to a bustling organization that sees some fifty kids per week. Adolescents and teens find the program through a referral from their current school. The golf tournament is Power 4 Youth’s main fundraiser, an event held with the goal of being able to serve more youth.
Parker said, “It’s an event that stays true to the spirit of youth, with a grownup (fundraising) flair to it.”
According to Parker, the fundraiser gets more popular every year, with many return participants. “It’s really fun because it allows adults to be kids again and play, yet we’re raising money for a really important cause, helping our struggling youth,” Parker said.
For those wanting to compete, registration is $75 and includes the tournament, dinner, awards and prizes. Registration ends on September 25.
For more information, visit Power 4 Youth’s website, or call 562-435-2352 to register for the tournament. Boomers Fountain Valley is located at 16800 Magnolia Street, Fountain Valley, CA 92708.
{FG_GEOMAP [33.718064,-117.97132010000001] FG_GEOMAP}