1st Annual Roots – Leos Club Golf Fundraiser

I started my first year of golf at the age of twelve, when other girls my age were already in their fourth and fifth years of this long, athletic journey ahead of us. However, I’d like to say that my determination and effort made up for all those years I’d lost. I may not have started playing before I could walk, but I knew that my passion and ability to work hard would hopefully drive me to play equally as well or better than those who had started young.

However, something I was exposed to at a young age was community service. Starting at the age of six, for an annual Pancake Breakfast hosted by our Lions Club, I would wake up at five in the morning with my mom and drive to Foster City Elementary to help support the PTA. I was too young then to fully understand what the Lions Club was doing, but just a little girl eager to deliver pancakes and syrup to each table. However, as I grew up and matured, I eventually started to see how these volunteers weren’t part of the school or PTA, but were rather just helping out the Foster City Elementary community out of enjoyment in acts of service. This was what originally sparked my interest in community service, realizing that you didn’t necessarily have to gain something in order to help someone.

In January this year, with the help of my mom and the Lions Club, I founded the Roots–Foster City Leos Club. The Roots–Foster City Leos Club is a nonprofit, youth-led organization operating under the guidance of the Lions Club, our parent organization. Upon becoming president, I was inspired by the same selfless spirit I had witnessed during those early-morning pancake breakfasts—the desire to serve our community without any expectation of reward.

The name “Roots” was a very meaningful choice. To me, roots represent the foundation of a thriving community—hidden beneath the surface and supporting and nourishing the growth above, just as a tree’s roots supply essential nutrients. The tree with its many branches symbolizes every individual we hope to reach, and our acts of service are the nourishment that allows them to grow and thrive. By coming together as Leos, we strive to make a lasting impact.

There are four key ideas that are extremely important to our club: youth leadership, service, community, and education. As a club, we decided the best way to emphasize this was to create an annual fundraiser supporting graduating high school seniors across the San Mateo Union High School District going into further education, where the money would be used for those six scholarships. We hope that with this fundraiser, we can promote youth leadership within our club, support further education for students, and serve our community. Entrepreneurs, executives, students, investors, and people of different backgrounds and occupations will come together in our tournament with one thing already in common: swinging for a good cause.

Our first annual golf tournament fundraiser is being held on November 1st at Mariners Point Golf Course in Foster City, California. This fundraiser is made possible thanks to the generous support of its sponsors: Adopt AI, Arccus, Dimension AI, Flywl, Foster Ventures, GrowthRails, ICICI Bank, Lumber, Provident Credit Union, Rocketlane, Rockfish Data AI, Trusity, Westbridge Capital, Zocket, and various anonymous sponsors, whose contributions help ensure the success of this event and the continuation of scholarship opportunities for local students.

For More information and to get tickets, please visit: rootsfclc.com

About the Author

Dhyuti Chandrashekar is a high school sophomore with a passion for languages and the outdoors. Fluent in Russian, Tamil, French, and English, she loves exploring different cultures through language. When she’s not studying, Dhyuti enjoys playing sports and staying active in nature.