Count NCGA Board of Directors member Preston Pinkney as one of those making a difference.
The Oakland native was named a Jefferson Award winner by CBS News Bay Area (see video below) for his efforts in bringing golf to as many youths as possible through Ace Kids Golf and other programs. On a national level, the Jefferson Awards, presented by the group Multiplying Good, serve as inspiration for others to do good in their communities.
For Pinkney, it was golf that changed his own life. Twenty years ago, he was an aspiring hip-hop artist. But others, including his mother, didn’t see a fruitful future.
"Even before, when I was in school, my teacher told me and he said, 'Look man, you're coming down to this 'Y' in the road. Either you're going to be successful in life, or you're going to be dead or in jail,'" Pinkney recalled.
A mentor, Jeff Callaway of Ace Kids Golf Program, offered him work as a van driver for the junior golf program. Today, Pinkney is the director of Ace Kids Golf, a position he’s held since 2006.
Ace Kids Golf serves over 1,000 underprivileged Oakland-area youth ages 5 to 18, giving them a chance to learn life skills and build discipline and confidence through golf lessons and tournaments.
In addition, Pinkney and his wife, JaVonnie, founded The Pinkney Foundation in 2018 to support programs that help kids develop such skills as financial literacy and entrepreneurship.