Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy students spent the day at the 2012 PGA Tour Transitions Championship at the Innisbrook Golf Resort in Palm Harbor, Florida. Students also had the opportunity to hang out with PGA Tour golfers and participate in the event as Standard Bearers. (Pictured Below)

We have a recipe for success and it starts with our Board of Directors’ vision for the Academy. The vision is reaching struggling children early and teaching them positive values connected with the game of golf, such as patience, discipline, determination and respect for others is paramount to their success.

“We utilize golf as the cornerstone of a program that builds self-esteem, instills a strong work ethic, and stresses the importance of a good education in the lives of disadvantaged children,” said Tom James, Chairman of Chi Chi Rodriguez Youth Foundation.

The Academy is also unique in that it integrates a shadow program into the student’s education.  Students spend time with adults in each department of our campus Chi Chi Rodriguez Golf Club and Sports Complex, seeing firsthand how management, marketing, retail sales, landscaping, and agronomy apply to real life. While learning about the various jobs at our campus Chi Chi Rodriguez Golf Club and Sports Complex, the children see how basic educational skills like math and reading are used on an everyday basis. Our teachers feel that students are much more enthusiastic when they see how the things they learn are involved beyond the classroom.

Theses living classroom experiences mixed with our small-school atmosphere, with individual attention given to students, counseling, availability of student services and special instructional components have fostered a desire in Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy students to succeed.

The Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) scores are just another indicator of how successful our educational model is, but that model would not be as successful as it is today, if it were not for our amazing teachers and staff. Thank you for all your hard work and commitment to making a difference in the lives of our students.

The Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy would like to honor Bill & Helen Braddock for their long time support of the Foundation.  Bill & Helen have been making a difference in the lives of Chi Chi Students for more than 30 years.

It is hard to meet Bill & Helen without feeling an overall sense of the sincere generosity they represent.  In the words of Bill Braddock, “You can’t go around life with a catchers mitt on both hands, you must give, throw something back,” and that is exactly what the Braddocks have done.

Bill & Helen are a true inspiration to all of us here at the Academy. We can not thank them enough for everything they have done and everything they continue to do.

PGA Tour golfer and Masters Champion Zach Johnson spent time visiting with the Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy Students before making a guest appearance at the 2011 Chi Chi Invitational charity event presented by Transamerica.