00:00So, let's start there, Noda. First, congrats, but just kind of give a little bit more background in that Native
00:07American, like, really just history of where you've come from and how far you've come.
00:13Well, thanks so much, Smiley, and I certainly appreciate you coming out to the ceremony a couple weeks ago in
00:18Atlanta. It was great to see you.
00:19We go back in golf, we go back in television, and you were one of the first people to actually
00:26really find out and talk about the award when we were at Shinnecock at the U.S. Open.
00:31We're sitting outside in the back patio with your wife, kind of winding down, and I was in complete shock
00:37at that point, and it stayed the same.
00:40The amazement has stayed the same, and my intent with the whole speech was to sort of just give everybody,
00:46even like yourself that have known me for years,
00:49just a little bit more like peel the curtain back and like, this is really who I am. This is
00:55where I'm from. This is how I was raised and how I've imparted a lot of those life experiences into
01:01my community service work,
01:04not just for the Native American community, but for all the different sort of nonprofit organizations that I've been lucky
01:11enough to work with.
01:12So it was a special night. I think the most nerve-wracking part was when I saw Scottie Sheffler, Roy
01:19McIlroy, Victor Hovland, and all the guys walking.
01:21I was like, oh my God, like, you know, it's one thing to talk in front of, you know, people
01:32that you're familiar with, but then sort of the guys you're calling golf on, it was a surprise.
01:37And I was really touched that they were able to take the time to do that because certainly getting ready
01:42for a big event like that,
01:43you wouldn't expect guys like that to show up to an event, but it also just lends itself to sort
01:48of what the PGA Tour has done to support this
01:50and how Southern Company has really gotten behind it. And for good reason, you know, the Payne Stewart Family Foundation
01:55does amazing things
01:57and using its voice and the legacy of Payne Stewart to drive more funding. Like, the good is always there,
02:05Smiley, but
02:05these nonprofits don't function without exposure and money. And when a family like the Stewart Family continues to advocate for
02:16nonprofit work
02:17through not just the Payne Stewart Award, but through their own personal commitments, it just, it makes everything better.
02:27And Noda, you're, of course, very heavily involved in junior golf, the Noda Begay Golf Junior Tour, but then also
02:33to just with your foundation,
02:35and you spoke a lot about the foundation that evening and all the work that you're doing.
02:40How can people learn more about the Noda Begay Foundation and what's currently on the docket for what's next?
02:47Yeah, like we're closing in on 100,000 kids and families served since our inception.
02:52We just celebrated 20 years investing over $10 million into our work. You know, over 80% of our staff
02:59still lives in reservation communities that we serve.
03:03So we're truly a boots on the ground organization. And that's how really I've always wanted it to be.
03:08I think we have to maintain a touch with who we're serving and a direct connection with those kids and
03:14those families because
03:15they're up against some pretty dire circumstances. And I mentioned it in my speech that, you know, these kids have
03:22the lowest life expectancy in America at just 60 years.
03:27And it's kind of remarkable that that's happening in America. But they're also up against the lowest high school graduation
03:33rates in the country.
03:34So, you know, the way you turn communities around right is through good health and good education.
03:39And those are two huge obstacles that these kids have to overcome. And that's what we sort of impart into
03:46building our programs,
03:47which is number one, be proud of who you are and where you come from, invest in your health, understand
03:52what's required to maintain a healthy lifestyle, a healthy mindset.
03:56Mental health has become real big for us in the last five years, but also go out and pursue an
04:01education.
04:02And I try and lead through example, utilizing my Stanford economics degree and some of the other things that that
04:08we're working on.
04:09And we bring in speakers and partners that are advocates for those similar types of things.
04:14So hopefully we get through. I mean, and one of the ways that we know that we are making a
04:19difference is that we have a number of staff members.
04:22I think almost 20% of our staff were former NB3 kids 15 years ago.
04:27So they care enough about the work and it's mental enough in their lives that they're coming back to work
04:33for us now.
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