Kenny's Kids

Kenny's Kids...How It All Began

In the fall of 2004, Kenny Gardner introduced himself to a group of youth from Willard Community Center while they were struggling to learn the game of golf at Pioneers Golf Course.  Kenny spent part of the evening with the teens after buying them some driving range balls. He was so impressed with them it prompted him to remark later to his wife Pam that if anything happened to him, he wanted her to do something for the kids at the Willard Community Center.  After his passing just a few months later, Pam and the rest of the Gardner family began hosting the memorial golf tournament as a tribute to Kenny and to benefit “Kenny’s Kids”, the participants in the Willard Teen Program.
The mission of the Teen Program is to provide programming for middle and high school youth to build positive relationships with their peers and adult role models while learning useful life-long skills, all in a safe, supervised environment, regardless of income level.

How Golf Tournament Proceeds Benefit "Kenny's Kids"

Willard Community Center hosts year-round programming for middle and high school youth.  During the school year, Willard provides both Before and After-school activities and services for participants.  Teens and their families receive many benefits through participation in the program.  Students enjoy transportation to and from school each day, as well as a nutritious morning and afternoon snack.  Summer activities provide kids with organized fun during those “forgotten months.”  Trained staff supervise and act as role models for youth in order to provide a safe environment for learning and peer interaction.  “Teen Nights”, which are hosted every weeknight, provide organized recreational, educational, and volunteer opportunities, including regular golf outings to Pioneers golf course to help kids with little experience with the game to learn and enjoy the sport Kenny loved.  
Implementation of our programming is costly, and tournament proceeds are used to provide
scholarships for low-income youth to be one of “Kenny’s Kids.”

To find out more information about Kenny Gardner and his generous family, please the Journal Star Article here.