The First Tee Greater Chicago, Alsip

With nearly 200 chapters worldwide, The First Tee uses the game of golf to instill in local children positive life skills and a love of physical activity. The organization recognizes that life between the ages of 7 and 18 can be full of new experiences and difficult challenges—one might call them hazards—and organizes its on-course curriculum to help teach Nine Core Values that can be carried throughout life.

The list includes things like honesty, which covers telling the truth about scores; integrity, which teaches that players should never move their ball even if no one is looking; and perseverance, which instructs youngsters to never give up even if that means diving after a ball into a water hazard. The organization brings kids together to put these values into practice at summer camps and after-school sessions throughout the year.