The U.S. Kids Golf Foundation has named two members of the current graduating class of Pinecrest High School as recipients of their Volunteer Scholarship for the 19th consecutive year. Carter Lynn and Ava Vonderkall each received a $750 scholarship.
J.T. Stilwell, a 2012 U.K. Golf scholarship winner and representative for the U.S. Kids Golf World Championship, presented the awards in honor and recognition of the more than 600 world championship volunteers during the recent senior night ceremony at Pinecrest High School.
This will mark the 21st year that the parent company, U.S. Kids Golf, headquartered in Atlanta, GA, has held the championships on 12 of the Pinehurst area courses.
Chris Vonderkall, senior vice president of the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation, commended the Sandhills area volunteers and the student winners.
“Carter and Ava are the kind of student volunteers that the U.S. Kids Golf Foundation stands for,” said Vonderkall in a news release. “By awarding these scholarships, we are recognizing the large number of hard-working and selfless volunteers, without whom the World Championship would not be possible in Pinehurst for the past 20 years. We also appreciate the hard work and dedication of these students for what they have given to their local communities over many years and wish them well as they attend Old Dominion University and UNC-Chapel Hill.”
These scholarships are presented to students from the Pinehurst area who demonstrate exceptional citizenship, community service, willingness to serve as a volunteer and their involvement in extracurricular activities.
Carter is the son of Robin Lynn and Jim Lynn of Pinehurst. His brother is Sparks, and Carter plans to attend Old Dominion University in the fall because of his interest in engineering. His end goal is to join the Navy or the Air Force.
Setting up and breaking down are major parts of any event, and Carter has been involved in both for the past four years with U.S. Kids Golf. He has also been involved in transporting equipment back and forth between courses.
Carter has volunteered for AFJROTC at Pinecrest and been part of the track and cross-country teams, as well as offering his time for the Sandhills Children’s Center and First Health. Additionally, he has accumulated 150 community service hours (and counting) and has managed to visit all 50 states.
Ava is the oldest daughter of Kara and Chris Vonderkall of Pinehurst, who also have another daughter, Ella. She will attend UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall, majoring in Biology.
Vonderkall has been a member of the Pinecrest varsity women’s soccer and basketball teams and is also a member of the National Honor Society. Her participation in Morgan’s Message has shown her the strong importance of good mental health. She is an active member of Brownson Memorial Presbyterian Church, where she feels confident in bringing the community together.
Ava has undertaken various tasks at U.S. Kids Golf events since middle school, including registration, distributing water and volunteer shirts and anything that comes up during the day. She enjoys meeting new families during the Parade of Nations (one of her favorite things) by helping overcome language barriers, and she continues to learn and contribute to this event. Her leadership skills and the ability to face challenges have become a meaningful part of her life through the world championships.
Feature photo: Recipient, Ava Vonderkall (left), volunteer chair Leigh Ann Eshelman, and recipient Carter Lynn.
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Contributed article/photo.
