Furyk visits school to honor Teach for America members

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THE PLAYERS Championship contributes to a diverse group of charities throughout Northeast Florida, living by the PGA TOUR's mission to give back to the communities in which it plays. Since 1977, when THE PLAYERS moved to Ponte Vedra, more than $28 million has been contributed to Northeast Florida charities, ranging from health care to youth and education to human services. From Nov. 17-21, representatives from the PGA TOUR and THE PLAYERS Championship, along with several TOUR players, will visit different charitable organizations in Jacksonville as part of "Giving Back Week." This event took place on Wednesday.
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Jim Furyk meets with Teach for America teachers in Jacksonville.

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- As part of THE PLAYERS "Giving Back Week," PGA TOUR professional Jim Furyk and his wife Tabitha Furyk made a surprise visit to North Shore K-8 MicroSociety School to pay tribute to the Teach For America teachers who are helping North Shore students succeed. North Shore, a state-of-the art school that opened in March after three neighboring schools were shut down and then combined, has benefited from 14 Teach For America corps members. Teach For America was brought to Jacksonville thanks in part to a multi-year commitment from THE PLAYERS.

Furyk gave a brief talk to the entire fifth-grade class, focusing on goal-setting, and then put on a golf demonstration using SNAG golf equipment. Furyk also encouraged the students to participate in The First Tee of Jacksonville, which is located in their community.

"I love the fact that I get to play golf all around the world in places like England, Hawaii, Japan and South America," Furyk told the students. "But did you know that one of the biggest golf tournaments in the world happens right here in Jacksonville? It's called THE PLAYERS Championship, and I'm so proud of the fact that each year the tournament raises millions of dollars to help people all around Jacksonville."

Teach For America is the national corps of outstanding recent college graduates who commit two years to teach in urban and rural public schools and become lifelong leaders in expanding educational opportunity. This year, 6,200 corps members are teaching in over 1,600 schools in 29 regions across the country, while more than 14,000 Teach For America alumni continue working from inside and outside the field of education for the fundamental changes necessary to ensure educational excellence and equity.

For more information, visit www.teachforamerica.org.