12/2/19 – The Parks Foundation of Highland Park is pleased to announce it has received a $50,000 grant from the Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation. These funds will be used to support construction of the Youth Golf Development and Short Game Center at Sunset Valley Golf Club.

This new learning facility at the recently renovated Sunset Valley Golf Club will offer a welcoming environment where young people can practice the game of golf while learning the qualities of discipline, fairness, and patience embodied by the sport. The Center will allow young golfers to develop skills in short game fundamentals, including short shots from bunkers, fairways, and roughs. Through lessons, summer camps, junior leagues, and local team practices, the site will encourage youth to improve their game and sports etiquette among seasoned players and professionals at an award-winning park district course. The Parks Foundation is proud to spearhead funding for this state-of-the-art facility typically found only at private clubs, and to further its mission of making world-class outdoor and recreational opportunities accessible to all community members.

“We are grateful that the Wadsworth Foundation recognizes the importance of our effort to establish the Youth Golf Development and Short Game Center,” said Parks Foundation Board President Bob Bernstein. “The Parks Foundation supports the Park District of Highland Park mission to enrich community life through healthy leisure pursuits and an appreciation of the natural world. That includes carrying on Sunset Valley’s tradition of being the primary center for generations of Highland Park and Highwood residents to learn and love the game of golf.”

The Wadsworth Foundation grant adds to the nearly $175,000 generously committed by the community to date toward an estimated total project cost of $200,000. The Parks Foundations actively seeks additional donations to complete the project and invites the public to chip in by buying a brick or contributing at https://pfhpil.aplos.org/Playitforward

The Parks Foundation of Highland Park believes every resident deserves the opportunity for an enriched healthy life. It provides the resources necessary for everyone in our community to have access to the benefits of our world-class park district and contributes to enduring legacies within the community for future generations. The Parks Foundation of Highland Park is an independent, community-led, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information, visit https://pfhpil.aplos.org/

The Wadsworth Golf Charities Foundation is dedicated to improving communities through the embodiment of the moral, ethical and cultural codes of the game of golf. The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, seeks to make golf and the character-building attributes of the game more accessible to more people, with the ultimate goal of not only enhancing lives but helping to build stronger communities. For more information, visit http://www.wadsworthgolffoundation.org/