American Dream Can Be Realized Through Chick Evans Scholarship Fund
American Dream Can Be Realized Through Chick Evans Scholarship Fund
If you had the opportunity to listen to Tom Fitzgerald, the volunteer treasurer of the Southern Nevada Golf Association, discuss the historic, prestigious and meaningful Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship program, you would run through a wall to help him and his fellow Evans alumni and alumna bring the program to Southern Nevada.
The good news for the youth of Southern Nevada is that plans are in the works and successfully establishing the program in Southern Nevada could happen sooner than later, giving young caddies in Southern Nevada a chance to earn the lucrative scholarship.
Fitzgerald, who caddied at Broadmoor Country Club in Indianapolis as a youth, was a recipient of the Evans Scholarship and used the full-ride which includes tuition, room and board, to earn an undergraduate Business/Accounting degree at Indiana University.
“Earning that scholarship and taking advantage of it was the launching pad to the rest of my life,” says Fitzgerald, who is working with fellow alumni and other key golf leaders to bring the program to Southern Nevada. “Quite literally, this is the American dream come to life. I would be a hypocrite if I didn’t give back and try to help the next generation, just like I was helped as a young man.”
Chick Evans was a famed lifetime amateur golfer from Chicago who played the game for its purity, tradition and sportsmanship. He won both the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in 1916 (Bobby Jones is the only other golfer to ever do so), but despite massive pressure to turn professional, Evans remained true to his amateur roots.
He did, however, devise a plan to defer anything he earned from golf to help fund the Evans Scholarship. Evans worked with the Western Golf Association to create the program and over the last 80 years more than 10,000 caddies have earned scholarships totaling more than $320 million.
Currently there are 910 Evans Scholars enrolled at Big 10 universities or the University of Oregon or Colorado. In 2016, an additional 250 scholarships will be given away to worthy youth who serve as caddies.
Just recently, Jake Keady became the first youngster ever from the state of Nevada to earn an Evans scholarship and he is now enrolled at Oregon. Keady earned a 3.96 GPA in his first semester. In all, Evans Caddie scholars average a GPA of 3.2 and enjoy a graduation rate of 95%. The scholarship is valued at $70-80,000 annually for each student.
Fitzgerald says that while people and organizations are supportive of the idea about bringing the caddie program to Southern Nevada, the hot weather in the summer when kids are available to hit the courses is a barrier to entry in addition to other challenges. But he believes he and others are close to agreements with key organizations, leaders and golf courses that would bring the program to life.
Prospective Evans Scholarship recipients are judged on four criteria. The student must have good grades, have a true financial need plus be an all-around student. The kicker that makes it a challenge for student caddies in Southern Nevada to qualify is that to be considered for the scholarship, the student must have caddied at least a minimum of 100 rounds throughout their high school career. With very little opportunity for junior caddies at Southern Nevada caddies area courses, hitting that total-round minimum is nearly impossible.
The hard work and inspiration of Fitzgerald and others, including the 30 Evans alumni living in Southern Nevada, could change that soon.
WGA Caddie Academy Gives Female High School Caddies Opportunity Now
The WGA Caddie Academy was recently created to give high school girl caddies the chance to meet the required minimum of 100 rounds, even if they don’t live or have access to caddie jobs. The Western Golf Association’s Caddie Academy completed its fourth summer in 2015, providing a group of 43 female high school students from across the nation the opportunity to work at golf and country cubs along Chicago’s North Shore. Applications are now being accepted for 2016.
For seven weeks, the girls lived in the Northwestern University Evans Scholarship House and had a chance to caddie daily at one of eight participating clubs.
This unique program allows its participants – with an emphasis on minorities and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds – a chance to experience the benefits of being a golf caddie, from learning life lessons to being around successful adults. The girls are selected as freshman and give a three-year commitment to the program. Those who complete the program are eligible to apply for the Evans Scholarship.
“The Caddie Academy provides a special, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for hard-working young women to be introduced to caddying and the sport of golf,” says the WGA’s Mike Maher, who helps oversee the Program. “Their ultimate reward is a chance to earn a full scholarship to college.”
Help the Cause
Fitzgerald and his group welcome support and hope to work with area golf courses, golf course owners and managers, and any others who are interested in helping the program blossom to life in Southern Nevada. Contact Tom Fitzgerald at 702.458.0800 or email him at TFitz551@aol.com.
