David Gasper '98

For the past seven years I have been involved with a program here in Detroit called Midnight Golf. It is a youth empowerment program that is catered for seniors in high school to give them all of the tools they will need to succeed in college and beyond. Our students meet two days per week after school. Every session involves a life skill taught by an expert in the field such as: Networking, personal finance, public speaking, and many more. Our students then have dinner together, followed by golf lessons by PGA tour pros, and break out sessions to discuss the life skill in smaller groups where they can hear from their peers in what we call "Tee Time". The culmination of the program is called The Road Trip for Success, where all of our students, along with our mentors, go on a week long bus trip over Easter break and visit colleges, play some amazing golf courses, and bond together in an experience they will never forget. My involvement in Midnight Golf started as a Mentor, where we would dedicate roughly 6 hours per week working with the kids, showing them guidance, and helping any way we can. I continued serving as a mentor for three years, at which point I stepped down from that role as it was too time intensive for me as my wife and I started a family. My role with Midnight Golf is now as a Board Member, where I have served for the past 5 years, as well as having the responsibility of teaching the Investments course to the students each year. I was actually introduced to the program by a DCDS classmate of mine, Brandon Scott, who has been heavily involved in this program for years, and continues to serve as a mentor presently. We have also created a scholarship for Midnight Golf Students, in the name of my late grandfather, Steve Gasper, Sr. , where we have made significant financial impacts on several Midnight Golf student's college education over the past three years and counting. While I am admittedly biased, The Midnight Golf Program is one of the finest philanthropies in the country. Our founder, Renee Fluker, has impacted so many wonderful, and deserving students in Detroit and the surrounding community, and I am proud to call her a friend. Our results speak for themselves as well. Of our 117 graduates last year, we sent 117 of them on to college. Yes, that is 100%! The first in our program's history, of which we are extremely proud.