Pro golfer funds program to help at-risk teens
by Nathaniel Jones
FORT WORTH -- First-time juvenile offenders in Tarrant County will get a chance to turn their lives around through a new program unveiled Monday with the help of a professional golfer.
U-Turn, funded by PGA Tour golfer Chad Campbell and his wife, Amy, is an eight-week mentoring program that builds character, exposes youth to professional careers and helps them make life choices.
"A lot of young people want to do the right thing. They just don't know how to," said Amy Campbell, who lives in Colleyville. "If you don't have someone at home giving you encouragement and letting you know what's right, then you're not going to know."
The Campbells were joined by U.S. Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth, and Steve Riach, founder of the Heart of a Champion Foundation, announcing the program at the Lynn W. Ross Juvenile Center on Monday morning.
The program, scheduled to begin in May, will include 50 at-risk teenagers and their parents who will meet with juvenile services personnel to discuss life issues during work sessions held on Saturdays.
The U-Turn curriculum is based on Riach's character education curriculum that is taught in 26 states.
"The basics of having good character is making good decisions," Riach said. "Once they've learned that, then they can turn in the right direction."
