jews d
in
the
Midnight
Program helps
local teen achieve
Weizmann Institute
internship in Israel.
Golf
SHARI S. COHEN CONTRIBUTING WRITER
RIGHT: Teen Rashad Prendergast earned an internship to the Weizmann
Institute. He credits the nonproft Midnight Golf with providing support.
Gabe Neistein
Gabe Neistein Joins
Midnight Golf
Gabe Neistein, 30, recently joined the Midnight Golf program as
its first fund development director. He previously served as alumni
relations director for Tamarack Camps, where he tripled alumni
engagement and helped manage a portfolio of donors. Neistein
is a founding committee member of Pitch for Detroit, which
raises funds for Detroit area community development projects. He
received a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Michigan State
University and a master’s degree in community development from
the University of Detroit Mercy. •
26
September 28 • 2017
jn
I
t’s not really about the golf although partici-
pants learn golf fundamentals from a PGA
instructor. “Golf is a hook,” explains Jamie
Jacob, CEO of Ajax Paving and a board member
of Midnight Golf, a nonprofit college prepara-
tory program that helps 250 Detroit-area African
American students reach and succeed in college
each year. “We’re raising their self-esteem and
aspirations,” he says.
Jacob says he got involved because of the pro-
gram’s strong results. Midnight Golf alumni are
five times more likely to graduate from college
than their peers. “Sixty percent graduate in six
years, compared to a much lower rate in other
groups,” he adds.
Jacob learned about Midnight Golf through a
newspaper article about its annual graduation at
a large Detroit church, which he attended. “I was
extremely impressed with the program, especially
the speakers who are alumni. The energy in the
room was phenomenal.”
Jacob followed up with a visit to Midnight
Golf ’s office and met Renee Fluker, a retired social
worker who is its founder and president. He
learned that Midnight Golf is a selective program
for African American teens from the city and sub-
urbs. For the 2016-17 session, 1,000 seniors from
81 high schools applied. Of these applicants, 732
were interviewed and 265 were accepted. (The
2017-18 class is being finalized now.)
Grades and test scores are not the criteria for
acceptance; Midnight Golf accepts successful
students and those who need academic help.
The program seeks young people who want to
go to college and spend time with successful
people who serve as volunteer mentors. Many are
Midnight Golf alumni, who coach the students
twice a week during 30-week sessions held at
Marygrove College in Detroit. Golf instruction at a
practice facility is part of the program and meals
are provided.
Students receive academic help if needed and
continuing motivation and practical guidance for
the college selection and application process. A
Road Trip for Success college tour is a program
highlight. Students and adult volunteers travel by
bus, visiting multiple campuses over the course of
five or six days. Jacob was a volunteer chaperone
on one trip. “You get to know the kids and see
some great places. Some students are accepted
on-site,” he says.
Since Midnight Golf began in 2001, 2,000 of its
students have attended 100 colleges throughout
the country — both public and private universi-
ties including historically black colleges, such as
Tuskegee and Howard universities. A scholarship
fund is available and assistance with financial aid
applications is provided.
After getting personally involved, Jacob asked
Fluker what Midnight Golf needed to advance.
She wanted to reduce the number of students
turned away each year due to lack of capacity. He
and his wife responded with a donation to double
the size of the program in 2015. In addition, he
was the catalyst for Midnight Golf ’s first fundrais-
er, a 16th anniversary celebration held in August
at Eastern Market. Fluker adds that the Jacobs’
contribution enabled additional young people to
participate in the college tour.
Jamie and Denise Jacob, who live in Franklin,
have three adult children and three grandchil-
dren. Jamie has hired several Midnight Golf par-
ticipants as summer interns at his company, Ajax
Paving, and enjoys keeping up with some of the
students he has met once they’re in college. And
he’s making sure that his friends and associates
learn about Midnight Golf and the difference it is
making for Detroit-area young people. •