Community Partner Award – The YouthQuest Foundation

YouthQuest Celebrates Supporters With Golf Tournament, Awards

September 5, 2019 stevep News

Players at YouthQuest golf tournament at Trump National Golf Club, Washington, DC August 5, 2019

Every August, we bring together YouthQuest Foundation supporters to show our appreciation and honor some of the special people who help us change young lives.

We fielded 19 teams for this year’s golf tournament on August 5 at Trump National Golf Club, Washington, DC. At our VIP Reception on August 1, we recognized our 2019 Strategic Partner, Community Partner and Volunteer of the Year award winners.

During the reception, Piper Phillips, President and CEO of PHILLIPS Programs for Children and Families, and YouthQuest Director of Instruction Tom Meeks gave guests an update on how our partnership is helping prepare students on the autism spectrum for meaningful employment. They showed this video about PHILLIPS students who took part in a cross-country 3D printing project that laid the groundwork for our new vocational training program.

2019 Volunteer of the Year Chris Adams with YouthQuest Foundation Co-Founders Allen Cage and Lynda Mann at VIP Reception August 1, 2019 — *Volunteer of the Year Chris Adams*

YouthQuest Co-Founders Lynda Mann and Allen Cage presented awards to Volunteer of the Year Chris Adams, a Technology Education teacher at Franklin Middle School in Chantilly, and to Franklin Assistant Principal Robert Gibbs, representing Fairfax County Public Schools, our Community Partner of the Year.

Chris has been sharing his expertise with us for several years and has helped connect us with other Fairfax County teachers. When he found out his school was going to get rid of a barely-used Z310 powder/binder 3D printer, he thought of us. With his help, we arranged for Fairfax County Public Schools to donate the Z310 to us. It’s the perfect addition to our 3D printing lab, giving our advanced 3D ThinkLink students valuable, hands-on experience with a professional-grade machine as part of the job training and placement project we’re launching.

University of Maryland Terrapin Works Operations Manager Nathanael Carriere was on hand to accept our 2019 Strategic Partner Award. Terrapin Works encompasses a collection of 3D design and printing resources on the College Park campus. Nathanael and his staff host Vocational Orientation events every six months for cadets in our 3D ThinkLink classes at DC’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academy. They take the cadets through the labs in Maryland’s recently opened A. James Clark Hall, showing them how engineering students use 3D printing.

Golf Entertainer Brad Denton trick shot demonstration at YouthQuest golf tournament August 5, 2019 at Trump National Golf Club, Washington, DC — *Golf Entertainer Brad Denton*

Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Tysons, Virginia, hosted the VIP Reception and sponsored Golf Entertainer Brad Denton, who opened the tournament on Monday morning with an amazing trick shot demonstration before players headed out to spend a beautiful summer day on the Trump National Championship Course.

We were pleased to welcome DFS Construction Corporation and DCG Dominion Construction Group as first-time tournament sponsors, along with returning sponsors AOC Solutions, FEDAC, the Poole Foundation, the POH Group, Kipps DeSanto, Insperity, Gombos-Leyton, Jones Lang LaSalle, Old Dominion National Bank, CrossFit PR Star and Valley Forge Acquisition Corp.

Old Dominion National Bank team member Penny Bladich sinks a putt at YouthQuest golf tournament August 5, 2019, at Trump National Golf Club, Washington, DC — *Old Dominion National Bank’s Penny Bladich sinks a putt*

VIP guests at the tournament included Capt. Ken Dondero and Maj. Rudy Landon from the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office and Washington Redskins alumni Pat Fischer, Roy Jefferson, Raleigh McKenzie, Jerry Olsen and Bubba Tyer.

The secret to the repeated success of our annual fundraising event is the outstanding work of the entire Trump National team including the catering staff, grounds crew and caddies, along with our tournament volunteers: Linda Ackerman, volunteer coordinator, Emily Blake, Rachel Cage, Nikki Gombos, Rob Hall, Steve Levenson, Ingrid Louro and previous Volunteer of the Year award winners Edna Davis, Val Hightower and Tony Sanderson.

The 15^th annual Challenge at Trump National will be on Monday, August 3, 2020. It’s never too early to sign up. This form has all the details. Online registration will be available early next year.

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Swingin’ in the Rain at the YouthQuest Golf Tournament

August 22, 2017 stevep News

Playing in the rain at YouthQuest Foundation charity golf tournament at Trump National 2017

Even though it rained for the first time in the event’s 12-year history, more than 100 players and volunteers turned out for our annual fundraiser on August 7.

YouthQuest Co-Founder Allen Cage putts at the foundation's 2017 charity golf tournament — *YouthQuest Co-Founder Allen Cage putts*

Washington Redskins alumni and first responders from Loudoun County, Virginia, were among the VIP guests who joined two dozen teams on the links at Trump National Golf Club’s Championship Course, which was the site of the Senior PGA Championship earlier this year.

“We were pleased to welcome three new sponsors this year; Insperity, Pure Storage and ePlus,” said YouthQuest Foundation Board Secretary and Tournament Committee Chairman Bill Hall.

Returning sponsors were AOC Solutions, 3Delta Systems, FEDAC Processing, Insurance Associates, the Poole Foundation, PNC, Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Jones Lang LaSalle, Ritzert & Leyton PC, CrossFit PR Star, Experis Technology Group, AC Properties and Valley Forge Acquisition Corporation.

The tournament’s Silent Auction raised more money than ever and we collected an additional $2,500 through a new fundraising tool, the Giving Tree. The tree displayed at the post-tournament reception was decorated with tags that were 3D printed in our lab. Each tag gave donors an easy way to provide equipment, supplies and other resources for students in our 3D ThinkLink Initiative for at-risk youth.

Volunteer of the Year Tammy Haug (center) with volunteers Erica Stewart and Carol Schick from AOC at YouthQuest's 2017 charity golf tournament — *Volunteer of the Year Tammy Haug (center) with volunteers Erica Stewart and Carol Schick from AOC Solutions*

During the post-tournament reception, AOC Solutions National Sales Manager Tammy Haug was presented with YouthQuest’s Volunteer of the Year Award. In addition to working the golf tournament every year, she helped with our 10th Anniversary Celebration and the workshops we ran to introduce kids to 3D printing at the National Society of Black Engineers Convention in Anaheim, California, in 2015.

Laura d’All, general manager of Copy General’s East Coast Production Center in Sterling, Virginia, also was on hand to accept YouthQuest’s 2017 Community Partner Award. Copy General prints the golf tournament program each year and has made many generous contributions to advance our programs that serve America’s at-risk youth.

Supporters also gathered at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar in Tysons Corner on August 3 for our annual VIP Reception, where we showcased our 3D ThinkLink Youth Mentor project. Guests watched a video about top graduates of our 3D design and printing classes at Maryland’s Freestate and DC’s Capital Guardian Youth ChalleNGe Academies who completed a week of training in our lab to share their skills and serve as positive role models in their communities.

IMADE3D owners Ladi Goc and his wife, Ivana Gocova, accept our 2017 Strategic Partner Award from YouthQuest Co-Founders Allen Cage and Lynda Mann at the foundation's annual VIP Reception on August 3. — *IMADE3D owners Ladi Goc and his wife, Ivana Gocova, accept our Strategic Partner Award from YouthQuest Co-Founders Allen Cage and Lynda Mann*

Also at the VIP Reception, we announced IMADE3D as the winner of our 2017 Strategic Partner Award. The company makes the JellyBox, a unique, easy-to-assemble 3D printer kit designed especially for education. YouthQuest and IMADE3D have worked together since 2015. Advanced 3D ThinkLink students in our lab were the first group to test-build JellyBoxes with the inventors, Ladi Goc and his son Filip Goc, observing the process. The feedback from the students helped IMADE3D perfect the design and refine the assembly instructions before putting the JellyBox on the market. Now we have several of them in our lab.

Tournament volunteers at YouthQuest's charity golf tournament, August 7, 2017 — Tournament volunteers in the clubhouse

New York Times bestselling author John Gilstrap was at both receptions to sign copies of Final Target, the latest book in his Jonathan Grave thriller series. John supports the 3D ThinkLink Initiative by serving as the judge in our essay contests. Twice a year, we invite ChalleNGe Academy students to write about how being in our 3D class affected them personally. The winners receive $500 scholarships to pursue higher education or vocational training.

Missing from this year’s tournament was Golf Entertainer Brad Denton, who has been part of the event for several years. Brad was injured in a serious car crash the week before the tournament, but he’s on the road to recovery now. To show our appreciation for him, tournament participants made donations to buy a $750 Tech Pack (3D printer, software and laptop), which will be given to a Youth Mentor on Brad’s behalf.

We look forward to having Brad back in action at our next tournament, scheduled for August 6, 2018.

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Congratulations to Our 2015 Award Winners

August 12, 2015 stevep News

YouthQuest Co-Founders Lynda Mann and Allen Cage presented awards on August 6 to individuals and organizations whose support has been crucial to our Foundation’s success.

FOUNDERS AWARD

When we considered who should receive our first Founders Award, Scott MacDonald immediately came to mind. He is the clear choice for this special recognition as we prepare to celebrate YouthQuest’s 10^th anniversary.

Scott, the owner and president of RE/MAX Gateway in Chantilly, Virginia, has been with us from the beginning. Not only has he sponsored every one of our events, he’s held his own fundraisers for YouthQuest. He constantly promotes the values and mission of our Foundation.

Scott sets an outstanding example of personal integrity and commitment to community. He has been vital to our organization since the day YouthQuest was founded. We are grateful for his generous support and proud to honor him with the Founders Award.

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR

Edna Davis is the quintessential volunteer. She takes on the hard jobs and she gets them done with a smile.

As executive assistant to AOC Solutions President and CEO Allen Cage, Edna’s daily to-do list is a long one. Yet she’s always willing to make time for us because she shares Allen’s passion for helping at-risk youth.

Edna is persuasive and tenacious, as you know if you were at last year’s Challenge at Trump National charity tournament where she got 100 percent of the golfers to buy tickets for the 50/50 raffle.

Regardless of the task – whether behind the scenes or on the front lines – Edna is always there to answer to call for YouthQuest.

3D THINKLINK STRATEGIC PARTNER

Prototype Productions CEO Joe Travez with first 3DThinkLink class during Vocational Orientation in 2013 — Joe Travez with first 3DThinkLink class in 2013

Prototype Productions, Inc. in Ashburn, Virginia has hosted tours for our students during every 3D ThinkLink class cycle since the project began in 2013.

These Vocational Orientation visits show the students how 3D design and printing is used in a wide variety of career fields. At PPI, they get to see all the steps in the prototyping process and learn about the importance of innovative thinking and problem solving at work.

CEO Joe Travez makes the experience even more valuable by sharing his personal story with the students. It’s inspirational for these at-risk teens to learn about how he turned away from gangs, embraced education and family, and built a thriving high-tech business from scratch. His message about making smart decisions and going the extra mile to achieve his goals is exactly what our students need to hear.

Because of their consistent support of YouthQuest’s mission, we are pleased to recognize PPI as this year’s 3D ThinkLink Strategic Partner.

COMMUNITY PARTNER

Derrick Campana hosts Vocational Orientation visit to Animal Orthocare in April 2015 — Derrick Campana hosts 3D ThinkLink Vocational Orientation tour

We discovered Derrick Campana through our strategic partner, 3D Systems, because they worked together to invent revolutionary 3D-printed legs for a disabled dog named Derby. (Click here to see a video about Derby.)

We’re fortunate to have Derrick’s Animal Orthocare, one of the few businesses in the world that specializes in orthotics and prosthetics for animals, located just a few miles from our headquarters in Chantilly, Virginia.

Animal Orthocare is a favorite stop on Vocational Orientation tours for our 3D ThinkLink students. During a recent visit, they enjoyed Derrick’s hands-on demonstration of making plaster casts of limbs and saw how he used 3D scanning and printing to create customized parts for prosthetics.

Since then, Derrick has been busy developing new mobility devices for animals. He even traveled to Thailand in July to help two elephants that were maimed by land mines. We can’t wait to learn more when we take the next group of Maryland and DC students to Animal Orthocare for Vocational Orientation in October.

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Awards were presented during YouthQuest’s annual VIP Reception, at Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar in Tysons Corner, Virginia. We thank Fleming’s Operating Partner Michael Garcia and his staff for hosting an outstanding event. Here are more photos from the evening.

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