Resident Report:
Golf Champions: Phil and Mark
Corinn Johnson, B.S.

In October, two of our residents were talented enough to be chosen to compete in the Special Olympics National Golf Tournament. The tournament was held at the PGA Village in St. Lucie, Florida. If you aren't too familiar with golf it helps to know that PGA Village was ranked Number 30 in GolfWorld's Reader's Choice Awards "Top 50 Public Golf Courses". Also, it was among the "75 Best Golf Resorts" in North America according to Golf Digest. In this edition of the newsletter we wanted to introduce the golfers and their achievements.

Phil
Phil is a quiet man who uses his words sparingly. He lived with his parents in Memphis before moving to The Baddour Center around 15 years ago. Phil plays a variety of sports in the Special Olympics and has awards in things such as softball, basketball, and golf. He has been a golfer for quite a few years. In prior competitions, such as the World Championship in North Carolina, Phil has won 2nd and 3rd places. At the Florida tournament, though, Phil played the Singles Nine-Hole and scored 62, 61, and 55 for an overall score of 178. This score placed him in first; something he cannot remember achieving before. He now has a Special Olympics plaque, of which he is very proud.

When asked about The Baddour Center, Phil expressed that he really likes living here because he likes being around the staff and residents. He additionally stated that there is nothing about The Baddour Center that he doesn't like. He really likes his job working with Deb and Paula in tobacco packaging. His favorite activities are fitness class and going to the movies.



Mark
Mark is originally from Salisbury, North Carolina and is a huge fan of the Tar Heels and the Panthers. In 1995, after having been at the Baddour Center for only a short while, he was invited to join the golf team. He has never regretted his decision to join.

In St. Lucie, Mark played 18 holes alternating shots with his partner, Shannon Adams. Mark earned scores of 102, 98, and 97 which yielded an overall score of 297. Mark is very proud of the gold medal that he won as a result of his scores. Being in Florida was almost as exciting as winning first place, though. This was Mark's first experience playing golf in Florida and he loved every minute of it.

Mark has a lot of energy and excitement for The Baddour Center. He's very proud of his family and enjoys visiting them, but is glad to be living here. "I love this place", exclaimed Mark.

Mark did not know about The Baddour Center until June 1994 when a neighbor in North Carolina encouraged him to take a tour. During the tour, he realized that he wanted to move to The Baddour Center immediately. In the 14 years that he has been here he has come to love many of the staff and residents, and he truly enjoys working and making money. In North Carolina he was a volunteer assistant in the schools, but did not have the opportunity to earn any income. Now he has two jobs: he loves his job in pre-print at FedEx and enjoys working in maintenance with Ricky, Howard, and Regina. Mark currently belongs to the Episcopal church in Como, MS where he serves as an Acolyte and assists the priest with ceremonial duties. In addition to golf, he likes to play on his Play Station 2, watch DVDs on his laptop and spend time with his girlfriend.

Congratulations to Phil, Mark, and Coach Shannon Adams. This is quite an accomplishment, and, as always, you have represented The Baddour Center well.