Rosedale residents open course, hearts to students

ROSEDALE — Eight-year-old Isaiah Depina was too busy chasing a golf ball around the putting green to mind the constant teasing his new friend, Rosedale resident Jack Sodini, bellowed from the sideline.

Instead, the Moody Elementary Student glanced up, took Sodini’s prescribed stance and grinned sheepishly as he watched his ball veer feet away from its intended destination.

“That’s not good; he didn’t make it,” Sodini said, waving his hand in the air and launching into a hearty chuckle. “Concentrate. Keep your head down. To the hole.”

Isaiah seemed to relish every minute, pausing only to hug his mentor for a photo between putts.

“It’s fun,” he said. “We hit the ball like we’re really golfing.”

Twenty-five boys from Moody Elementary School enjoyed a one-on-one lunch with men from the Rosedale Golf & Country Club Dec. 8, before taking a limousine ride around the community and heading to the putting green for some golf practice.

Twenty-five girls from the school met with Rosedale ladies for the same festivities Dec. 6.

“This is the greatest thing in my life,” fifth-grader Austin Seubert said. “Great food. I’m having a great time. It’s awesome.”

Moody Elementary guidance counselor Jerry O’Brien, a Rosedale resident, said teachers selected which children would attend the Rosedale outing based on positive behavior.

Ninety-percent of children at Moody, he said, qualify for free or reduced-price lunches, making the event extra special for many of the boys.

“A lot of these students never get (to experience something like this),” O’Brien said. “(The Rosedale men) mentor with the boys and talk with them about their careers and (making) good choices.”

Rosedale resident Ron Boehm, who participated for the first time, said he enjoyed getting to know his student, Jamez White.

“This is great to meet the kids and have them experience different things,” he said. “They’re all different in age, but we try to find what (we have) in common. It’s fun. Normally, I don’t eat fried chicken.”

The annual event, now in its third year, began in 2009 after Rosedale resident Verla Heotis approached O’Brien with an idea to do something special for the female children at Moody, after learning more about the school’s demographics. Together, they came up with the idea of involving the Rosedale Niner’s Golf Association ladies with hosting a luncheon for about 13 girls. The program has since expanded with the support of Rosedale Golf & Country Club members, who sponsor children’s attendance.

“We wanted to get more children involved,” Verla’s husband, Jim Heotis, said. “Just to see the smile on their faces — to see them happy — that’s the most important thing.”

Verla Heotis agreed.

“The greatest part has been doing something for somebody who has nothing,” she said. “It’s just endearing. It gives you the spirit of Christmas.”

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].