Thank You!
Words cannot express the gratitude we feel towards our volunteers here at First Tee — Triangle and the measurable impact that our volunteers have on us and our participants. We are fortunate enough to have community members willing to dedicate their time to delivering our mission. Our volunteers are the anchor of our chapter.
Volunteer of the Month 2023
About Allison: I started playing golf at 8 years old. I learned the game through my Dad, who quickly became my favorite golf partner. I started playing competitive golf in middle school and high school. I earned a Division I college golf scholarship to Western Illinois University. I played competitively for four years at WIU and had the opportunity to travel around the United States playing the game I love. Throughout high school and college I taught multiple SNAG golf programs and gave golf lessons to kids in the community. This is where my passion for growing the game started. Once I graduated college I started my career in the Supply Management Development Program at John Deere and became the Assistant Girl Golf Coach at my alma mater, Geneseo High School. In my seven years as the assistant golf coach I had the opportunity to coach nearly 100 girls. I’m still an avid golfer today and enjoy spending my free time on the golf course and traveling with my husband Robert and dog Mia.
I relocated to the Raleigh area in May 2023 for a job within John Deere’s golf division. At this time, I had to give up coaching high school golf in Illinois. I knew I wanted to continue to give back to the game that has given me so much. My values aligned with those of The First Tee so it was a natural fit. I’ve since completed multiple programs for 7-11 year olds at Knights Play. My favorite part of coaching through The First Tee is seeing the growth in confidence each kid gains as the program progresses. As their confidence grows, so does their love for the game. It is incredibly rewarding to see the kids develop their skills on and off the course and know we are helping build the future of golf.
I’ve worked for John Deere for the last 8 years in various Supply Management, Operations and Marketing roles. I’m currently the Golf Market Development Management for John Deere Golf. I have responsibility for market development for John Deere Golf products in areas outside of the US, Canada and Europe. I heavily focus on our Asian, South African and Caribbean markets. I work to strengthen John Deere Golf’s brand and develop strategic relationships within the market. My job allows me to work with our customers, channel partners, and John Deere employees globally.
I’m honored to have been chosen for the volunteer of the month and look forward to continuing to support The First Tee in 2024.
July 2023: Terressa Zimmerman
June 2023: Daniel Brown
May 2023: Ann Mykins
April 2023: Chris Koss
March 2023: Kathryn Vardzel
Kathryn Vardzel is from Charleston and has a nursing degree from the University of South Carolina. Kathryn was a RN in a Pediatric Emergency Department for 5 years and recently finished her Masters in Leadership. She now works in hospital administration and has been spending her free time Volunteering with First Tee – Triangle.
Because of her busy schedule, Kathryn jumps in each week as a floating coach always willing to support whichever facility needs the most assistance. Over the last several weeks, she has worked with participants at River Ridge and Falls Village. Kathryn is a natural leader, takes initiative, and First Tee kids have already been tremendously impacted because of her involvement.
Adult Volunteer of the Year
2023 – Nicholas Stewart
2022 – Weezie Duckett, Ebony Dill, & Bob Nowoc
2021 – Elyssa Nastalski & John Bok
2020 – Kim Shope
2019 – Dan Sawyer & Hyla Wooldridge
2018 – Bill Alfano & John McDonald
2017 – Peter Pront & Sam Hodges
2016 – Chris Abbate & Wayne House
2015 – Anthony Laffoley & Bill Nave
2014 – Dan Moore & Ben Spiker
2013 – Staci Creech & Doug Samson
2012 – Terry Fleitz
2011 – John Mitchell
2010 – James Gerhart
Junior Volunteer of the Year
2023 – Parisa Majumdar
2022 – Tyler Spriggs
2021 – Aubrey Littrell
2020 – Jiya Patel
2019 – Tyla McAffity
2018 – Jiya Patel
2017 – Laurenz Gonzales
2016 – Jared Cross
2015 – Kelsey Selna
2014 – Andrew Minshew
2013 – Jonathan Paulson
Parent Volunteer of the Year
2023 – Christopher Koss
2022 – Jeffrey Stelmach
2021 – Dana Frazier & Heather Rand
2020 – Jimmy Conder
2019 – Roger Dattilo
2018 – Ben Ceranowski
2017 – Phil Vivongsy
2016 – Geri Lyn Cross
