Enthusiasm. Dedication. Compassion. Integrity. Perseverance.

Enthusiasm. Dedication. Compassion. Integrity. Perseverance. These, and many more, adjectives describe Caroline Rea on and off the golf course. While my personal experiences with Caroline only date back to February 2015, her track record with The First Tee of the Sandhills began formally in 2006. Don’t let that date fool you, Caroline has been hanging out around The First Tee since its inception, in 2003, patiently waiting to be old enough to officially join. Caroline has been actively involved in our programs as a participant, volunteer, junior leader and community advocate for almost eleven years! In addition to staying active and engaged at a high level in her curriculum programs, Caroline has provided volunteer support for projects in our administrative office, at special events and fundraisers in the community, and serving as a junior coach with our TARGET and PLAYer level programs. In 2014, she began offering her time to junior coach to the seven, eight and nine year olds on Tuesday afternoons during our Just for Girls PLAYer Program. Today, her commitment to the Just for Girls program has not wavered. First hand, I’ve seen positive interactions between Caroline and these young ladies. Moments of weakness where she provided them encouragement, moments of frustration where she taught them perseverance and moments of just silliness where they could giggle together through the activity of the day. Young girls at The First Tee look up to Caroline. Seamlessly, Caroline gives back by providing the same experience she had to the next generation of youth in our community. Her giving doesn’t stop with us. Caroline is active as a volunteer at Prancing Horse, Sacred Heart Catholic Church and area elementary schools as a Teacher’s Assistant. Caroline’s character shines when she speaks to others about her favorite core values, Honesty and Perseverance. Whether having to call a golf penalty on herself, when no one else noticed, or pulling a teacher aside to point out a miss-score on a test, resulting in a lower grade; Caroline knows that doing the right thing can be difficult, but is always worth it. She credits The First Tee for teaching her perseverance. Accepting and understanding that in order for her to be successful, she may fail a few times, but she can appreciate life’s successes and handle life’s failures all while staying resilient and focused on her goals. Just last year, Caroline decided to pursue the possibility of continuing golf at the college level. A goal that she previously didn’t feel she has the opportunity to pursue. I am happy to say that a few weeks ago, Caroline sign a letter of intent to play golf a Pfieffer University. We are so proud of Caroline Rea and know she will be a wonderful representative for The First Tee of the Sandhills. Just next time, as an Alum!