• Rotary Year: 2018-2019
  • Application Date: 5/21/2018
  • Club Name: Harrisonburg-Massanutten
  • Project Name: SkyTrak Simulator
  • Project Total Expenditures: $4,894.00
  • Grant Amount Requested: $2,447.00
  • Describe the Project, its location and its objectives: The Harrisonburg Massanutten’s grant proposal for the 2018/2019 Rotary year is submitted in hopes of raising funds to secure a launch monitor simulation system named SkyTrak for The First Tee of Harrisonburg. The First Tee is a national nonprofit organization that provides educational programs to build character and develop life skills in community youth through the game of golf. Various programs within local schools and classes offered at the First Tee help to accomplish this mission. In addition there is also independent initiative, Fairways for Heroes, to provide a series of clinics to community Veterans to give back to those who have served.
    The simulation system, SkyTrak, is a realistic and real-time golf practice system that accurately captures and displays necessary data such as launch angle and ball flight at contact to show a realistic swing result. This technology provides instant feedback on every shot and will provide long-time Rotarian Mike Layman, a current First Tee Coach, and supporter, and other First Tee staff and coaches the opportunity to work with participants year-round. The First Tee of Harrisonburg has a premier 5,000 square foot golf learning center located at 690 Garber’s Church Road in Harrisonburg behind Heritage Oaks Golf Course. This learning center actually bears the Rotary brand and name, “The First Tee of Harrisonburg Rotary Learning Center” was funded back in 2004 through a donation of $55,000 from club# 5761, The Harrisonburg Club. The rear of the learning center has four garage bays that open facing the driving range at Heritage Oaks to allow golf participants to continue lessons and practice year-round. However, due to temperature and extreme weather, the amount and variation of instruction is limited with these garage driving bays.
    The Instruction Simulator project will enhance both the youth program as well as the Veterans’ initiative to allow lessons and practice to continue in inclement weather and during the winter months. The objectives for this First Tee project will be: 1) Positively impact the lives of youth, veterans, and their families throughout Harrisonburg and Rockingham County 2) Enhance the learning experience at The First Tee by providing a revolutionary golf instruction tool for coaches and staff to utilize throughout The First Tee programs. 3) Provide a means to work with youth and veterans year-round, rain, snow, or shine 4) Attract and encourage more youth to participate in physical activities by leveraging available technology.
  • This is the Club’s: Primary Project Application
  • Expected Start Date: 8/15/2018
  • Expected End Date: 8/21/2018
  • Expected Number of Beneficiaries: 300
  • Describe how the project will benefit the community and/or improve the lives of the less fortunate: The First Tee will be able to continue their year around, rain or shine, program objectives that emphasizes their Nine Core Values: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance, courtesy and judgment to all. Through golf and those core values, the participants will learn life skills like: Making proper introductions, managing emotions, resolving conflicts, setting up step-by-step goals, planning for the future, and appreciating diversity. SkyTrak technology will enhance and continue to make a positive impact in participants lives by allowing all local youth and veterans access to high quality instructional tools without a financial barrier. Community donations make up a large majority of the funding for The First Tee of Harrisonburg programs. This enables The First Tee of Harrisonburg and Fairways for Heroes the ability to not turn any interested participant away due to financial reasons. This also helps to dissolve economic classes and barriers among those in the community in the program. The funds will also help to ensure the reality of our Fairways for Heroes mission of making the game of golf accessible to veterans in the area through knowledge, leadership, and sponsorship. Providing services and opportunities to the veterans who have served us and the upcoming generation is critical to strengthening the sense of community. With this technology, we can provide a safe and private learning environment for veterans who may suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or any youth who may suffer from anxiety or any other disability that may limit them from playing on a real golf course. Our life lessons have changed the course of peoples lives and this technology will provide, for many, the additional one on one instruction with positive role models that may not only change their lives but the lives of their children and generations to come.
  • Estimated Total Project Volunteer Hours: 50
  • Describe the Rotarian hands-on activities in the project (i.e. non-financial participation): Other than assisting in the set up and a ceremony the day of inception, the Harrisonburg-Massanutten Rotary club and The First Tee of Harrisonburg will continue this project relationship a couple of ways. First there are discussions and plans to implement a mentor-ship program with local Rotarian's from all clubs to enhance the Veteran and child experience through comradery and connection with community leaders. Secondly, we plan to take a yearly field trip to The First Tee in place of one of our weekly meetings to get an update on the progress of this project and The First Tee program in general.
  • Describe the publicity plan to inform the general public that this is a Rotary sponsored project: We will attack the publicity part of this on multi fronts. We will be inviting both the news paper and the local TV station to come and cover our events the day of instillation and do a feel-good story on something positive happening in our community as we will have several children and veterans there for the “opening day”. We will also be promoting through our Facebook page and through the First Tee’s Facebook page. In addition to their FB page they will also be doing a story on this project in their year end newsletter that comes out in December.
  • Cooperating Organizations – Please list each cooperating organization, if any: The First Tee of Harrisonburg
  • Letter(s) of Participation: Participation Letter.pdf
  • Project Expenditure Budget – list detail uses of funds for the project, or use the Budget Upload: see budget upload
  • Project Funding Budget – list detail sources of funds for the project, or use the Budget Upload: see budget upload
  • Budget Upload:E- DG2015-Budget-Template-3.xls
  • Primary Contact Name: Matt Frakes
  • Primary Contact Rotary Position: President Elect
  • Primary Contact Email: Matthew.R.Frakes@morganstanley.com
  • Primary Contact Phone: 571-643-1023
  • Financial Contact Name: Nick Perrine
  • Financial Contact Rotary Position: Treasurer
  • Financial Contact Address: 
    558 S Main St
    Harrisonburg, VA 22801
    United States View on Map
  • Financial Contact Email: nperrine@pbmares.com
  • Financial Contact Phone: (540) 434-5975
  • District Grant Project Authorization LetterAuthorization Letter.pdf
  • Project Supporting Uploads:Additonal Upload.pdf