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Thanks to the entrepreneurial kindness of a dedicated group of local college students, the Tee It Up Fore Tots event has been a hole-in-one for local families served by The Children’s Institute of Pittsburgh.

The annual fundraiser started 15 years ago as the brainchild of Matt Rajkowski, a professional golf management (PGM) student at California University of Pa. (now PennWest University) and the school’s student society president at the time, Sylvester “Spanky” Richards.

The classmates were looking for ways to get PGM students involved in an event that would benefit the community.

Rajkowski’s mother, Liz, has been a long-time team member in the human resources department at The Children’s Institute, so it was natural that Tee It Up Fore Tots would support the 120-year old non-profit organization that serves nearly 9,000 children each year.

From humble beginning 15 years ago, the event has grown to welcome up to 125 golfers at Nemacolin Country Club in Beallsville, Pa. each year. Over the past decade and a half, nearly $38,000 has been raised to support the amazing families at The Children’s Institute.

With support from professors and the team at The Children’s Institute, students in the PGM program manage all aspects of the Tee It Up Fore Tots event from start to finish, including organizing sponsorships, securing raffle prizes, and coordinating the day-of event details.

“It’s a comprehensive learning experience for our students,” said J.R. Pond, program director of the PGM program at PennWest. Pond, a 2008 graduate of the PGM program, has been involved in the Tee It Up Fore Tots event since its earliest days and called the event “a staple of our year.”

“It’s always been well received and a really cool experience to see the students learn through putting this event together to be a success,” Pond said. “In the end, it’s the student’s drive that makes this all work.”

For the families at The Children’s Institute that benefit from that drive, this event has been better than a birdie.

This year’s Tee It Up Fore Tots event is scheduled for April 21, 2023 at Nemacolin Country Club. For more details on organizing a foursome or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Hugh O’Neil, annual and community giving coordinator, at 412.420.2201 or hugh.o’[email protected]. The deadline to reserve a foursome is April 14.