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4th Annual TPF Classic Pro-AM Golf Tournament
The 4th Annual TPF Classic Pro-AM Golf Tournament is this Friday October 8th at The Standard Club. Registration and the range will open at 11:30 AM with a 1:00 PM shotgun start. Each team will consist of 4 amateurs and 1 Georgia PGA professional. The format is 2 net best balls of the foursome and the pro's ball can help team score. Boxed lunches will be provided on carts prior to play. After golf, food and awards will be served in the clubhouse with team prizes to be awarded to top 3 teams and individual prizes for closest to the pin on selected par 3's.
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Featured Program: "College Can" Program
"College Can" Program: Our focal program in Athens is the "College Can" program. During the spring, and in partnership with University of Georgia (UGA) Department of Public Administration & Policy, UGA Athletics Department and Fowler Drive Elementary School, the "College Can" program aims to increase educational interest by motivating students that college can be an achievable goal. -
Recent Blog Posts
- Support the Earthquake Recovery Efforts in Haiti
Former Presidents William J. Clinton and George W. Bush have come together to support the earthquake recovery efforts in Haiti Please visit http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org and make a donation. Below is the message from the Former Presidents on the home page of http://www.clintonbushhaitifund.org “On January 12, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti just outside the capital city of [...]
- Support the Earthquake Recovery Efforts in Haiti
Welcome
Triple Play Foundation (TPF), a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization established in December 2006, is dedicated to using sports to promote education, health, and community service to at-risk youths in the Atlanta and Athens areas. With hard work, respect, integrity, and collective responsibility as our Core Values, TPF is committed to making progress in society using sports as its medium. In sports, people find a sense of joy and community. Teamwork, healthy competition, fair play, and sportsmanship are all lessons learned on the playing field.
These lessons have molded generations of Americans into leaders and winners in life. Because of this, the influence of sports on American culture is undeniable. Sports have always been at the forefront of the social issues in America. TPF continues in this tradition by providing sports-related programs that promote health, encourage educational responsibility, and require participant community service. TPF knows that it can continue to expand its impact with the help of our executive team, community partners, volunteers, donors, and supporters.
Executive Team
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Stewart Ambler - Board of Directors
Stewart got his bachelors degree in science from The University of South Carolina, Columbia with a major in Accounting and minor in Retail Management. He currently works for Beecher Carlson Insurance Services as a Staff Accountant in their corporate offices. He has been working with The Triple Play Foundation on the side for the past year and has helped them set up and run many of their fundraisers. -
Michael Bernath - Board of Directors
Michael Bernath graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics. Michael currently serves as the Vice President of Acquisitions for Peachtree Hotel Group, based in Atlanta, GA. Michael has been working with The Triple Play Foundation since its formation in 2006. -
James Childers - Board of Directors
James graduated from The Art Institute of Atlanta with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Web Design & Interactive Media. He is the one responsible for all of the beautiful web page designs that we've had over the years. James has been with TPF since it's conception. -
Ben Walker - Board of Directors
Ben Walker received his BS in Industrial Design from Georgia Tech in 2002, and began his career in the graphics industry. Ben started at a small signage firm, where he quickly worked his way up to become the office manager, building the company up to over a million dollars in yearly sales. Ben then transitioned into the role of Southeast Regional Sales Manager for a large printing company specializing in tradeshow design and construction, where his design skills, sales experience and project management played a key role. Wanting more out of his career, Ben went back to the grind at Georgia Tech. He will have his Masters of Industrial Design in 2010 and his MBA in spring of 2011, while continuing to conduct research for Georgia Tech as a GRA. Ben is planning his masters thesis and building his future on sustainable aspects of intelligent furniture. Ben has been an active member and volunteer of various non-profit organizations for over 4 years. Outside of Triple Play Foundation, he acts as a camp counselor at Camp Stars (Hospice Atlanta) and a logistics volunteer at the annual Sandy Springs Festival. Ben also gives his time to Buckhead Church, where he leads a men's small group, leads a fourth grade boys' Sunday School class, a provides support in other various ministries. -
Laine Wilson Walker - Board of Directors
Laine has been an active member of various non-profit organizations for over 10 years. Outside of Triple Play Foundation, her involvement as a chair with the Sandy Springs Festival and the small group programs at Buckhead Church are a few of her annual event commitments. She was a member of the Junior League of Atlanta for 3 years, and held the position of Marketing Chair for one of their sub-committees. She is currently supporting a thriving tax practice as a Senior Marketing Associate at Grant Thornton LLP, and one of her primary industry focuses at the firm is the Not-for-Profit sector. Her past experience includes marketing and client service for 2 years with KPMG LLP. Laine graduated Magna Cum Laude with Honors from the University of Georgia's Terry College of Business in 2002. -
Brian Gamsey - Executive Director
Founder and Executive Director Brian R. Gamsey graduated from The University of Georgia with a Master's in Public Administration and Policy and a specialization in nonprofit management May 2009. At UGA's MPA program, Brian was chosen as the nonprofit management finalist for Student of the Year for the Class of 2009. He also is co-author of the paper "Nonprofit Activity and County Financial Condition" published in the Municipal Finance Journal - Fall 2008, which examines the ways in which nonprofit organization affect the financial condition of U.S. counties.Prior to starting the Triple Play Foundation, Brian was recognized by the March of Dimes - City of Austin chapter as top youth leader in 2004. After which, he was asked to serve on the Board of Directors and Revenue Development Committee from 2005-06. After graduating with honors from The University of Texas with a B.B.A. in Finance in May 2006, Brian went to work for Ernst and Young in their Business Valuation group. While at E&Y from 2006-07, Brian was recognized for being a "Community Champion" for his commitment to public service. Since graduating from UGA, Brian has worked as a Consultant for Precipice Strategies, LLC performing various roles in a restructuring project for a not-for-profit hospital health system in Atlanta.
Partners
Letter from the Founder
From the winter of 2003 through the fall of 2006, Kyle Burnat - a pitcher for Yale University from Atlanta, Jimmy Prior - a basketball player from Chicago, Davy Ferguson a wrestler who attended the University of Florida, and Andy Gathers - an avid sports fan from Cleveland, lost their lives too soon, all passed away before the age of 23. They will all be remembered for their love of life, hard work, high character, and the important role sports played in their lives. It is the memory of these former teammates and forever friends that inspired the idea of the Triple Play Foundation (TPF). These tragedies left me reflecting on life, pondering its meaning, and searching for answers to many questions. Why is life unfair? Why isn't there anything to do about it? How can it be fixed? Since December 2006, TPF stopped me asking the questions of why and started me answering the question of how.
TPF is committed to making progress in society using sports as a tool to promote education, health and community service to at-risk youth. Guided by our core values - hard work, respect, integrity, and collective responsibility - TPF is proud to be entering our fourth year of existence. Thanks to supportors like you, last year was our most successful year yet - raising more money, giving out more grants, and directly serving more community members with our programs than ever before! These funds, grants and programs benefited at-risk youth in the East Atlanta, Fulton County and Athens-Clarke County communities.
Jackie Robinson once said "I believe in the goodness of a free society. And I believe that society can remain good only as long as we are willing to fight for it--and to fight against whatever imperfections may exist." TPF echoes those inspiring sentiments and fights everyday to continue to improve society. TPF knows that it can continue to expand its impact with the help of our tremendous community partners, volunteers, donors, and supporters. It very rare that a person gets to see their dream come to life - thank you for helping me start to see mine in this lifetime.
B.R. Gamsey
Founder/Executive Director
"College Can" Program - Athens
Our focal program in Athens is the "College Can" program. During the spring, and in partnership with University of Georgia (UGA) Department of Public Administration & Policy, UGA Athletic Department and Fowler Drive Elementary School, the "College Can" program aims to increase educational interest by motivating students that college can be an achievable goal.
The first way the "College Can" program seeks to do this is by hosting a field trip on the UGA campus. In addition speaking with and meeting successful young men and women student athlete's who have overcome similar obstacles, the students of Fowler Drive will receive VIP tours of Rankin Smith Student Athlete Academic Center, Sanford Stadium, and Stegman Coliseum and then be treated to a beautiful picnic.
The second aim of the "College Can" program is to raise money in order to fund enrichment projects that will increase educational interest & performance, which in turn will increase the likelihood of the students of Fowler Drive attending college. TPF believes the program leads to an increase in overall student interest in education and will help to bridge the gap between the educational inequities that currently exists. To learn more, please contact Brian.
"College Can" Program - Atlanta
Our focal program in Atlanta is the "College Can" program. During the spring, and in partnership with Kennesaw State University (KSU) Athletic Department and Fair Oaks Elementary School, the "College Can" program aims to increase educational interest by motivating students that college can be an achievable goal.
The "College Can" program seeks to do this is by hosting a field trip on the KSU campus. On the field trip, in addition to speaking with and meeting successful young men and women student athlete's who have overcome similar obstacles, the student of Fair Oaks will receive VIP tours of the KSU Convocation Center, Kennesaw Hall and then be treated to a beautiful picnic on the “campus green”.
TPF believes the program leads to an increase in overall student interest in education and will help to bridge the gap between the educational inequities that currently exists. To learn more, please contact Brian.
"Core Values" Golf Clinic
The camp, led by current GA PGA club pros, will concentrate on teaching the basic fundamentals of the game of golf. Campers will also receive instruction on topic outside of the game of golf such as the importance of work ethics, teamwork and the importance of giving back to your community. Free of charge, all participants must fulfill a community service requirement in order to attend. To learn more, please contact Brian.
4th Annual TPF Summer Spectacular at Sweetwater - May 14th.
This year's event will be held Friday May 14, 2010. $30/ticket for 1 and $25/ticket for multiple tickets. Ticket price includes: live music, pizza, a Sweetwater pint glass, tours and tasting of Sweetwater brews and return ride to Buckhead and/or the Virginia Highlands.
To learn more, please please contact Michael.
To view pictures from last year's event - click here.
3rd Annual TPF Classic Pro-Am Golf Tournament - October 23rd
With the same spirit of preserverence that allows TPF to serve our community, the 3rd Annual TPF Classic Pro-Am had to overcome many challenges but in the end was a great success. Despite a little drizzle to start the day teams for AirServ, Aon, Grant Thornton, Hire Dynamics, LeapFrog, and The Intersect Group fiercely competed for this year's 1st place trophy. At the end of the day, the top three finishers were:
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1st Place - Grant Thornton |
2nd Place - AirServ |
3rd Place - LeapFrog |
By supporting the Triple Play Foundation, you allow TPF to serve its community by giving grants to; the Sandy Springs Jr. Lacrosse program to purchase goalie equipment, East Atlanta Kids Club to allow the EAKC to re-open its doors at the Brownwood Rec Center, and Fowler Drive Elementary School to send 75 fifth graders to Jeckyll Island for an educational field trip. TPF also increased in own programming doubling the size of the College Can program - which brought 150 at-risk fourth and fifth graders to the UGA campus to meet with players, coaches, tour the athletic facilities and be inspired that going to college can be achievable goal in their lifetime.