Kids on the Hill
From Camper to Manager
By Coach Vinny De Torro
In the Summer of 2017, I was offered a position with The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia as a program intern. Although I was a bit unsure of what I would be doing with my position, I was excited to begin working and learning about the First Tee.
During my first week of work, I learned that The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia had recently partnered with Kids on the Hill, the program that taught me how to play golf. With 80 campers, Kids on the Hill is a Police Athletic League program providing young people with golf instruction and access to golf. I was eleven years old when I started with Kids on the Hill and now ten years later, as part of my internship, The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia has asked me to manage the program I love.
For the past four summers, I have been an instructor and counselor for Kids on the HIll. It was a very rewarding experience being able to give back and help the organization that had given me so much. As a Kids on the HIll staff member, I was able to help our young golfers because I understood where they are in their golf careers. Whether I was helping a student get prepared to tryout for their high school golf team or simply showing a young camper how to hold a club, I have been able to relate to them.
The opportunity I was given this summer to manage Kids on the Hill, has made me appreciate the work and dedication of my campers even more. I have learned that a significant amount of planning must be done in order to run a camp of this size while managing to keep our staff and kids engaged each afternoon.
When I began working for The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia, I was excited to gain valuable work experience, but never thought I would be involved in a program I cherished as a kid. For ten years, I have progressed with Kids on the Hill as a camper, student instructor and now a program manager with the First Tee of Greater Philadelphia. I could not be more thankful that I spend my summers exactly where I want to be.
