Avenues for Justice’s “Angel” Golf Classic

After a four-year hiatus, Avenues for Justice (AFJ) is pleased to announce that we will be hosting the AFJ “Angel” Golf Classic on June 14, 2023 at New York Country Club.

Prior to taking the helm, our Executive Director, Angel Rodriguez, had ambitions of playing professional golf. As Angel worked alongside Co-Founder, Robert Siegal, on the Lower East Side to provide neighborhood youth with after school activities, tutoring, healthy meals and court advocacy—he was focused on heading down to Florida to play in a PGA golf tournament. Sadly, when Robert’s life was cut short due to an illness, Angel gave no thought to putting aside his golfing aspirations to continue the important work that Robert had started and founded the Andrew Glover Youth Program (what AFJ was formerly known as).

As a teenager, Angel made weekend treks from the Lower East Side to caddy at Fishers Island in Suffolk County. Caddying not only helped him build important relationships with golf pros, but it helped him master golfing, eventually winning him an award at an annual caddie golf tournament. When he wasn’t caddying at Fishers Island, Angel was taking the 4 train to the end of the line to practice for free at Mosholu Golf Course in the Bronx.   

In 2002, Angel hosted the first Andrew Glover Youth Program Golf Classic. He paired his love of golf with fundraising to advance the agency’s mission of providing second chances to New York City’s youth and young adults. Over the years, the golf classic has brought together AFJ staff and board members with key stakeholders from judges to attorneys, supporters and donors, to volunteers and avid golf enthusiasts to raise proceeds–all of which benefit our Participants.

Angel is a force to be reckoned with in the courtroom as he advocates for young people to be mandated to our program, instead of incarceration, where they can receive free court advocacy and HIRE UP services for job training, educational support, life skills training, along with mental and physical wellness programs. But Angel’s golf swing is equally as powerful as his courtroom vigor! If you haven’t seen our court advocacy component in action, we encourage you to signup for a site visit at our courthouse offices inside Manhattan Criminal Court. 

We hope that you will join us to play, sponsor, support or cheer on the golfers at the AFJ “Angel” Golf Classic on June 14th. 

Tournament Schedule

7AM: Check-in and Registration

8AM: Driving Range Open

9:30AM: Modified Shotgun Tee-Off/Scramble Format