December 2002

Tiger Woods is from Cypress, CA, but his successor as king of the golf world could very well come from Detroit, thanks to Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's Mayor's Time initiative and Selina Johnson's Hollywood Golf Institute.

Mayor's Time is Kilpatrick's commitment to dramatically expand the number of Detroit children enrolled in after-school activities. Dr. Grenae Dudley, executive director of The Youth Connection, is on loan to the Mayor's office to direct Mayor's Time. In September 2002, Mayor's Time was officially launched with an after-school fair that attracted 15,000 parents and children who learned about, and registered for, the nearly 250 after-school programs on display.

The line of kids and parents in front of the Hollywood Golf Institute's booth at the after-school fair was long. The kids may have been lined up because golf is fun, but their parents might be aware of golf's "inherent aspects of discipline, patience, goal setting, personal achievement, communication and networking with fellow golfers," according to founder, president and CEO Selina Johnson.

Whatever their reasons, by the end of the day 300 people representing a total of 1000 kids signed up for Johnson's programs. Many of the 300 were individuals signing up, and many were representing the Girl Scouts, church groups and other organizations interested in having the Institute incorporate golf into their programs.

"Too often kids are pigeonholed into certain sports," says Johnson. "The Mayor's Time fair exposed thousands of kids to new and different opportunities like golf, which can be educational and which is still, for many city kids, an 'alternative' sport."

Kids in her program learn how to play the game and about careers and scholarship opportunities. She also turns golf into an opportunity to enrich youth's academic and social skills. The Institute's training has included communication, finances and travel - she's taken dozens of kids to the Master's Tournament in Augusta, GA. Johnson and the Institute have received numerous awards and have been profiled in national media.

To serve so many kids, Johnson offers an array of programs fitting a wide variety of schedules. Recently, Johnson has been able to expand her Saturday programs at Detroit's recreation centers. Through Mayor's Time, the city is working to improve, and make better use of, its recreation centers. Young, would-be golfers are one beneficiary of the effort.
Mayor's Time and its partner, The Youth Connection, seek to increase the percentage of Detroit youth who participate in quality after-school programming from the current 20 percent rate to 50 percent, and therefore harness the beneficial impact of after-school programming on reducing youth violence, substance abuse and early sexuality.
Together Mayor's Time and The Youth Connection play a dual role: greatly expanding the number of after-school opportunities available in Detroit, as well as informing families about existing programs and encouraging kids to attend. The after-school fair was an example of the latter role. Judging by the fair attendees' tremendous response to the Hollywood Golf Institute, Mayor's Time hit a perfect tee shot.