Heart of First Tee Celebration & Dinner

Thursday, February 8 | 5:30-8:00pm
Glenview Golf Course Banquet Hall

Tom & Melissa Briner Heart of First Tee GCNKY Award

Each Fall, we look forward to the PLAYer Experience and the celebration of our participants. At the event we also celebrate our seniors who have spent years as part of our First Tee family. But in 2019, we felt there was something missing from the celebration. There are so many people that make First Tee GCNKY successful and impactful in our community and we wanted to celebrate them as well.

About the Tom & Melissa Briner Heart of First Tee GCNKY Award        

Tom (right) and Melissa (middle) receiving the inaugural award

There are many words and contexts that describe a heart. Hearts are central, they are vital, and they are strong. Heartbeats are steady and a source of energy. People are the heartbeat of an organization. Those with big hearts are generous; they care, nurture, encourage, and inspire. Said more simply, they love. Those who embrace these qualities live out the essence of the mission every day. Tom and Melissa Briner have been the mission in action since founding our chapter in 2006. They are our heartbeat. The Tom & Melissa Briner Heart of First Tee GCNKY Award was established to recognize those who embody the ideals and commitment of the Briners to reach more children and positively impact their lives through the game of golf.

As our Chapter’s highest honor, it is with pleasure that we offer congratulations to the 2023-24 recipient of the Tom & Melissa Briner Heart of First Tee GCNKY Award—Alicia Yund! Many of you know Alicia as the Chapter’s former executive director and coach. Alicia is credited with building the Chapter’s capacity to reach over 20,000 kids and teens across our region every year, onboarding Warren and Butler counties, delivering excellence through a pandemic, and giving so much of herself to our participants over her tenure. 

At the event, we will also celebrate the recipients of the following new Chapter Awards:

Teacher of the Year

Volunteer of the Year

Coach of the Year

Partner of the Year

Awardees and their guests will attend with the Chapter’s compliments. Other attendees are asked to join us by registering here: