World Wide Technology grants opportunity and access to APGA, First Tee Diamante kids

by Doug Milne, PGA TOUR

In many ways, the setting for this week's World Wide Technology Championship in Los Cabos, Mexico, parallels the global IT company's bigger and more inspiring drive behind its title sponsorship of the annual PGA TOUR event.

Imagine for a moment, if you will, the area surrounding this week's venue, El Cardonal at Diamante. Though breathtaking by its expansive, sprawling layout along the coast of the Pacific Ocean, the area is also largely undeveloped and unoccupied.

It doesn't take long, though, to see the vision rapidly reaching fruition.

Homes, condos, business structures … all seemingly rising straight from the ground. Countless plants, trees and grasses are being planted into that ground to grow. Earth is being moved and sculpted in a way to produce everything from roads to golf courses and shopping centers.

In short, it's an extraordinary display of dedication and promise to grow a place into something more vibrant, functional and inviting. That impassioned vision of taking a thing and making it better is, in large part, what drives World Wide Technology in its title role.

An extension of that support from World Wide Technology's title role is to keep an emphasis on people, too. In this regard, the well-executed plan is to make places and people better.

World Wide Technology uses its title platform as a means to give back to those in the cities and regions where they work and host its annual World Wide Technology Championship. Leaving a community more enriched than when they found it is the wide-open fairway before them.

Going into the communities to make positive impacts on young lives and/or bring them to the host venue for educational and enrichment opportunities is nothing new to World Wide Technology staff.

In fact, at last year's event, World Wide Technology hosted a "Career Discovery Day" at K'iin Beh School in Mayakoba for 10th and 11th graders. In addition, they also hosted a meet-and-greet with PGA TOUR players and students at K'iin Beh School, which the PGA TOUR presented a check to.

World Wide Technology executives also hosted a "Career Readiness Workshop" at last year's event, when nearly two dozen local university students were invited to discuss resume writing, fields of study and even how to brand themselves on platforms like LinkedIn.

Specific to this week in Los Cabos, World Wide Technology has designated First Tee Diamante as the primary beneficiary of the 2023 WWT Championship.

"We knew World Wide Technology was generous to begin with, but we were extremely surprised with the gift of designating First Tee Diamante as the primary beneficiary of the 2023 World Wide Technology Championship," said Jeff Scott, First Tee Diamante Director of Operations."

First Tee Diamante conducted its 49th Saturday session this week, with 145 registered kids ages 6 to 16. They feature a staff of 35 coaches and assistant coaches, tutors and helpers who work each week to deliver the program.

In conjunction with Diamante, First Tee provides transportation, breakfast, snacks, lunch, shirts, hats, water bottles, backpacks and even day care until 4 p.m. to help parents with work responsibilities at Diamante.

"At World Wide Technology, giving back to the community is woven throughout what and who we are as a company. It's part of our mission," said Ashley Harris, World Wide Technology Manager, Community Outreach and Employee Engagement. "When we took on the title role of this PGA TOUR event, we wanted to make sure there was a community outreach component."

First Tee ended up becoming that component and great partner, in that it connected World Wide Technology's passion of introducing underrepresented kids to those positions where they can grow, thrive and develop into future leaders.