SSCA's Killarney Committee is pleased to receive a grant from the McCormick Ranch Women’s Association to help fund the Inaugural Scottsdale-Killarney Student Golf Exchange—SSCA’s first sports related student exchange.
JoAnn Garner, Killarney Committee chair, accepted the $500 grant at the club’s April luncheon. “MRWA is delighted to help a young ambassador travel to Killarney, Ireland this June. Hopefully, our contribution will help with travel and on the ground expenses,“ noted Natalie Montenegrino, the Chair of the club’s Charitable Contributions Committee.
The Committee gratefully recognizes the work of Linda Gruber who wrote and submitted the grant application. Gruber is a member of both SSCA and the MRWA, which was organized 45 years ago to foster community spirit, activities and projects to further the common interest of members.
To demonstrate that student exchanges can be life-changing events, Linda’s application included very perceptive remarks from two past Youth Ambassadors.
From Kyle Polen (former Chaparral High School student):
“My involvement in SSCA and the Junior Board has left an indelible impact on my life and professional goals. The exchanges with students from Morocco, Switzerland, and Kenya shaped my world view, motivating me to seek out diverse learning environments and approach all interactions with a sense of cultural humility. Because of SSCA and the perspective I gained from these youth exchanges, the pursuit of cultural diversity has become a priority for me in my life and future career.”
From Norielle Abts, a student at Saguaro High School:
“I have grown so much from my involvement with the SSCA Junior Board and my acceptance to be a student ambassador in Interlaken, Switzerland. My eyes have been opened by the SSCA, and the connections I have made are strong, genuine, respectful, and precious to me.”
We look forward to hearing from our 4 golfing youth ambassadors about their cultural experiences in Ireland June 17 to 26, and then hosting their Irish exchange partners October 26-November 4, 2023 in Scottsdale.
Photo caption: (L to R) Natalie Montenegrino, Chair of MRWA Charitable Contributions Committee, and JoAnn Garner, Chair of SSCA’s Killarney Committee