Students Attending ACC Give Back Through Golf Tournament Participation

A fun-filled day is also a chance for students and staff from the Anne Carlsen Center (ACC) to give back to a community that has stood behind the ACC during tough times this spring.

Each year, a half-dozen students from ACC are selected to be Center representatives at Jamestown Country Club during the ACC Benefit Golf Tournament. These students perform a number of tasks throughout the day, as they represent their school and home. This year the tournament will be held on Saturday, Aug. 8.

Natasha, who lives at ACC, lines up a drive at last year’s ACC Benefit Golf Tournament. This year’s tournament was postponed for two months due to flooding conditions throughout much of Jamestown.

Students and other volunteers for the tournament assist in a variety of ways – greeting golfers as they register for the event, taking photos with teams throughout the day, and demonstrating some of the types of adaptive technologies used at the Center. Students spend part of the day at the tournament before another group of excited students visits the golf course for a few hours.

Alex Roller, an 18-year-old living at the Center who recently graduated from Jamestown High School, will use a piece of adaptive putting equipment to show golf tournament participants how slight modifications to every-day items can open doors of opportunity for an individual with a disability.

“(ACC Adaptive Equipment Specialist) Todd (Kollman) hooked up a switch to a machine and it puts the ball right in the hole,” says Alex. “I like it. It’s a fun part of the summer. You are doing something good and you get a chance to meet people.”

“The kids are there to say thank you,” explains Denise Jensen, the Center’s activities coordinator. “They are there to say, we acknowledge your support and we appreciate it so much. People coming to the tournament really like it because they get to see who it is they are supporting.”

This year will be the 27th year of the Anne Carlsen Center Benefit Golf Tournament – the longest-running tournament of its kind in North Dakota. Since the golf tournament’s inception, student involvement has remained a constant.

“I’ve seen golfers have tears in their eyes,” recalls Jensen. “One lady was so happy when she was greeted at the door before the tournament began. It is nice to see that they know they are not just there to win a prize or a tournament. They love our kids.”

“I don’t know who is more excited the morning of the tournament – the kids who meet the golfers or the golfers who meet the kids,” says ACC Foundation Executive Director Dan Kunzman.

Jacob helps distribute complimentary folders to tournament participants during the
2008 ACC Benefit Golf Tournament.
Students and clients from the Center play
a big role in the day as they help with a
wide variety of tasks and interact with
tournament participants.

Alex and his friends have had to wait an extra two months for this year’s golf tournament due to the flood conditions throughout Jamestown this spring. The Center evacuated for 80 days when overland and river flooding threatened the ACC campus in March. Participation in the golf tournament is a chance for the students to return to normalcy and thank the community for its help throughout this spring.

“Even two months late, the ACC benefit golf scramble is a big day for many of us in Jamestown,” says Kunzman. “It is a very fun day, but it is an important day as well.”

“It is pretty nice because kids get to volunteer. They get the volunteer t-shirt so everyone knows who they are,” explains Jensen. “Socializing is a big thing. Our kids just love to make friends. They love the communication and the camaraderie.”

Tickets for the golf tournament are $85 per person and the tournament is limited to the first 132 paid entries. Golfers will be randomly placed on a team if one is not specified. Registration for the tournament is available online at www.annecenter.org or by calling the ACC Jamestown Campus at 1-800-568-5175.

The Anne Carlsen Center offers a rich tradition of empowering individuals with disabilities and their families. Its experienced staff provides compassion, training, services and supports in homes and communities across North Dakota. On the ACC Jamestown, N.D., campus, an experienced and professional staff meets the educational, residential and therapeutic needs of children and young adults with autism, behavior disorders, medical fragility, and other developmental disabilities.