Truth be told, the words “free pizza” got Jose Valdez’s attention. And why not?

“It had to be better than the lunch at school,” he remembers his teenage self thinking. So, Valdez decided to sit through the presentation about the TGR Learning Lab that would open soon in his hometown of Anaheim, California.

He was interested enough in the concept backed by Tiger Woods’ education-forward nonprofit, the TGR Foundation, to come back the following Saturday for a hard-hat tour of the facility that was still awaiting its finishing touches.

Oh, and this time, Woods was there, too.

“That was amazing – I was star-stricken for sure,” Valdez said with a hearty laugh. “He looked so handsome. I’m like, dang, that’s what perfect teeth looks like, huh?”

Valdez, who is now 36 years old, doesn’t remember exactly what Woods told him and his classmates that day in 2006. He just knew that Woods seemed genuine, humble, even, considering he is one of the world’s most recognizable athletes.

Woods was also passionate about what the TGR Learning Lab could become. And little did Valdez know what an impact the program would have on his life.

“It was very tough to envision anything,” Valdez said. “But I said, ‘You know what? If Tiger Woods is doing it, it's got to be great.’

“If he puts half of the effort that he does to his golf game, I mean, this thing's going to be phenomenal.”

And it has been. TGR Learning Lab Anaheim is 20 years old, as is the Earl Woods Scholar Program, named after the former world No. 1’s beloved father and mentor. A second TGR Learning Lab opened last year in Philadelphia, while three more are in development in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Augusta, Georgia.

“We're expanding quickly,” Woods said Tuesday at the Genesis Invitational, which benefits the TGR Foundation. “We're serving the underserved, and I think that's the more important thing is that yes, golf has been a big piece of my life, but it's not the only part of my life. …

“A lot of these kids that we're serving are first-gens. They don't really have an opportunity that they deserve, and it's up to us to be able to facilitate them and give them what they truly deserve, which is an opportunity to be supported. That's what the TGR Foundation has done for 30 years, and we'll continue to do so.”

A year-long celebration called Driving Dreams Together, presented by EY, will shine a light on the flagship Learning Lab, as well as the TGR Foundation. More than 3 million lives have been impacted by programs created and sustained by the nonprofit since its establishment in 1996.

Valdez is one of them.

School wasn’t exactly high on Valdez’s list of priorities when he took that hard-hat tour. In fact, the teenager had considered dropping out. He lived in one of Anaheim’s toughest neighborhoods and sometimes he figured, what’s the point?

“It was filled with negative values,” Valdez said, clearly uncomfortable with memories he has tried to erase. “It wasn't the happiest place. It just kind of felt like I was on my own.”

Soon, though, the teenager started spending his afternoons at the Learning Lab. Valdez was drawn to the STEAM programs that made science, technology, the arts and math come alive. One of his favorite things was using his newfound skills to build rockets.

“I got to really put in practice what I was learning in school with something tangible,” Valdez said. “Sometimes you learn about mathematics in school and you think, well, I'm never going to use this. And then all of a sudden, okay, I'm using it and I'm figuring out different trajectories.

“I'm figuring out different loads on different bridges, things of that nature, just mechanics, physics, and I've always liked science. I think I started falling in love with the programs here that were able to put everything together and tie it all in.”

By the time he was a senior, Valdez was spending about 20 hours a week at the Learning Lab. He also worked the driving range and learned so much about golf that he was able to start teaching at the clinics on Saturday.

The hands-on learning was incredibly important for the man who now owns his own business, IPQ Construction (Integrity, Precision and Quality). But so were the life skills he learned and the confidence he gained through his interactions with the people who worked there.

Take the time Valdez was headed to an interview for a college scholarship, and his attire left something to be desired. Dr. Katherine Bihr, the vice president of programs and education for the Tiger Woods Foundation, and several other staffers weren’t about to let him leave without a change of clothes.

“’I'm like, ‘What's wrong with it?’ And they're like, ‘Oh no,’” Valdez recalled with a smile. “And they called Nick Novak and they said, ‘Nick, go with Jose and go to Kohl's and get him something to wear. So just teaching me how to be professional was amazing.”

Novak also taught Valdez, the son of a single mother, how to tie a tie. Reminded him to buy a corsage for the prom, too.

After he graduated, Valdez signed on to provide academic support at the TGR Learning Lab. He learned the kids’ names and listened to their stories. He could relate to so much of what they were experiencing.

“I always made an effort to reach out to everybody and make them feel the way I felt when I would walk into the doors.” Valdez said.

He saw some kids he felt were “wilding out.” But the STEAM program and the discipline of the game of golf “helped them settle their minds,” he said.

“You always have to conduct yourself as a gentleman on the course, and you have to be honest even when it doesn't feel good, to be honest.”

Valdez and his wife Ariana, another Learning Lab graduate, started dating at Fullerton College and now have three kids. He’s teaching his eldest daughter, 11-year-old Annemarie, to play golf and looks forward to her attending the TGR Learning Lab like her dad did.

Valdez experienced firsthand the impact the programs there could have. And he tries not to dwell on what his life might be had he not opted for that free pizza and become a part of the TGR Learning Lab.

“I think it set the ground for everything that I've accomplished or the milestones that I've achieved,” Valdez said. “I think the work is never done. To think of a different life, I can't imagine it, but I think if I ponder it and I've done it several times, I'd be way behind. I don't think I'd even be close to anywhere where I stand today. ...

“So, I think the Learning Lab, as a member, opened up opportunities for exploration and possible careers, and it also gave me a deeper insight into what I wanted to be and what I didn't want to be.

“And I think the staff here was the ones that really empowered me to go out and get it.”