Texas Tech University Athletics
Roller Earns Tom Cousins Award for Community Service
October 26, 2020 | Men's Golf
ATLANTA, Georgia – Texas Tech freshman JP Roller was named the 2020 Tom Cousins Award recipient which was presented by the East Lake Cup on Monday night.
Tom Cousins purchased the East Lake Golf Club in 1995 with the goal of resurrecting the property in order to use the profits to develop the local East Lake community. His goal was to use the game of golf to improve the lives of those who were financially and educationally disadvantaged. Roller, who is competing in the East Lake Cup this week for the Red Raiders, is the first Texas Tech player to earn the honor.
As a service award, Roller was awarded the Tom Cousins Award through his commitment to his community back home in Tulsa. He described why service is important to him by saying: "I have served in a service club at my school called "Beta Club." This was an organization that did service projects throughout the Tulsa community. Two years ago, I invested my time into the Leadership Links with the AJGA. In that event, I chose a charity called College Golf Fellowship and raised over $20,000. In 2019, I was awarded the Jerry Cole Sportsmanship Award presented by the AJGA at the Rolex Tournament of Champions banquet for my community service and charity funding. These activities are just the highlights of what I have given back to the community, as it has been a number one priority in my youth.
"Without golf, I would have never been able to raise over $20,000 for an outreach that shares the good news of Jesus to college golfers. These examples are portions of my life where I have used the game of Golf to impact others in my community. There are numerous ways where one can shed light on someone or something through Golf. Mentorship for the younger generation is a massive part of being a student-athlete."
Twenty years ago, Cousins founded the East Lake Foundation. As a charitable organization, the foundation has been dedicated to helping families rebuild and helping children reach their highest potential. Based on the framework Cousins utilized to rebuild the East Lake community from one of despair to a national model of redevelopment, the East Lake Foundation employs a holistic approach to community revitalization, "incorporating mixed-income housing, cradle-to-college education and community wellness.
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The Tom Cousins Award is presented annually to an outstanding male and female golfer who epitomizes the standards of the East Lake Foundation, both excelling academically and demonstrating extreme engagement in his or her community.
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Tom Cousins purchased the East Lake Golf Club in 1995 with the goal of resurrecting the property in order to use the profits to develop the local East Lake community. His goal was to use the game of golf to improve the lives of those who were financially and educationally disadvantaged. Roller, who is competing in the East Lake Cup this week for the Red Raiders, is the first Texas Tech player to earn the honor.
As a service award, Roller was awarded the Tom Cousins Award through his commitment to his community back home in Tulsa. He described why service is important to him by saying: "I have served in a service club at my school called "Beta Club." This was an organization that did service projects throughout the Tulsa community. Two years ago, I invested my time into the Leadership Links with the AJGA. In that event, I chose a charity called College Golf Fellowship and raised over $20,000. In 2019, I was awarded the Jerry Cole Sportsmanship Award presented by the AJGA at the Rolex Tournament of Champions banquet for my community service and charity funding. These activities are just the highlights of what I have given back to the community, as it has been a number one priority in my youth.
"Without golf, I would have never been able to raise over $20,000 for an outreach that shares the good news of Jesus to college golfers. These examples are portions of my life where I have used the game of Golf to impact others in my community. There are numerous ways where one can shed light on someone or something through Golf. Mentorship for the younger generation is a massive part of being a student-athlete."
Twenty years ago, Cousins founded the East Lake Foundation. As a charitable organization, the foundation has been dedicated to helping families rebuild and helping children reach their highest potential. Based on the framework Cousins utilized to rebuild the East Lake community from one of despair to a national model of redevelopment, the East Lake Foundation employs a holistic approach to community revitalization, "incorporating mixed-income housing, cradle-to-college education and community wellness.
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The Tom Cousins Award is presented annually to an outstanding male and female golfer who epitomizes the standards of the East Lake Foundation, both excelling academically and demonstrating extreme engagement in his or her community.
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Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
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Greg Sands post-round interview (Rd. 3 NCAA Championships)
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NCAA Championship Rd. 1 Highlights
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