Vince Gill Volunteer of the Year Award

The Vince Gill Volunteer of the Year Award is annually given to a member of the Toyota TGA Junior Tour that embodies the giving spirit and commitment that Vince Gill has shown to various charities including junior golf. Many junior golfers dedicate their time and efforts to help volunteer for organizations in their respective hometowns and the Junior Tour would like to annually recognize one of it’s members and honor them with this award.   Vince Gill moved to Tennessee in 1983 in order to further his music career and became a chart and sales success later in the decade. It wasn’t long before Vince gained a reputation as an entertainer charities could count on for support. Besides hosting The Vinny, Vince has hosted the T.J. Martell Golf Tournament benefiting cancer and leukemia research, Belmont University’s music program and numerous other causes.   Vince has received many awards to honor his commitments to various charities and organizations. Some of these include the 2001 naming of The First Tee facility in Nashville as the VinnyLinks, the 2003 PGA of America Distinguished Service Award, and in 2005 the Tennessee Golf Foundation inducted Vince as their 24th member of the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame. The Vince Gill Volunteer of the Year Award is handed out annually at the winners respective season-ending championship.

2009 Winner - Parker Brandt (Ooltewah, TN.)

The following words were provided to us by Dr. James Robertson of the Chattanooga Orthopaedic Group: "Parker Brandt is an upcoming senior at Boyd Buchanan School in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He is a member of the varsity golf team, captain of the marching band drum line, and serves on the Student Council. Parker is also a member of the National Honors Society, Spanish Honors Society, and has been a member of the TGA Junior Tour since 2007. Parker has demonstrated his servant heart and compassionate nature for several years by participating in summer work camps, mission trips, and volunteer work at local retirement and long-term care facilities. This summer, Parker realized his golf tournament schedule would preclude him from participating in scheduled mission trips and work camps. He felt very strongly about finding a service project he could do during the summer. In April 2009, Parker decided he would use golf, the sport he loves, to help raise funds for a local charity organization. He would attempt to play 100 holes of golf in one day and seek financial sponsorship from friends, family, and businesses on a per hole basis. He worked diligently for two months seeking sponsors for his endeavor. He also worked at a local music festival to pay for his own expenses, so every penny he raised went to the charity. On June 9, 2009 at the Battlefield Golf Club in Fort Oglethorpe, GA., Parker began playing golf at 6:57 am. By the end of the day, Parker sank his last putt to finish playing a total of 105 holes of golf. His efforts and the efforts of his sponsors helped raise over $9,000.00 for the Greater Chattanooga Christian Services that day. GCCS is a non-profit organization committed to ensuring that children do not get lost in the darkness of despair and disillusionment by providing adoption services, foster care, respite services, and counseling. After the event, Parker continued to receive unsolicited donations from individuals and businesses who had heard of his endeavor. He was making weekly treks to the GCCS office to drop off checks, some from people he did not even know. Based on the overwhelming success of this project, Parker is already planning to play at least 106 holes next year."