Georgia Institute of Technology sophomore Christopher McCrary is paving the way for the next generation

For Christopher McCrary, laying the foundation to success for those who are following him is what drives him to continue being a prominent leader in his community.

“Because of the path (others helped) line up for me, it definitely made my accomplishments easier to reach,” said McCrary, “and that motivates me to get involved and to give back.”

And one of the many ways he gives back – volunteering.

The influence started with Christopher’s parents – who were highly involved in giving back to their community, as well as leaders from organizations such as the First Tee, the Drew Charter School and the YMCA – who served as “role models” and “leaders by example” in McCrary’s life.

“My parents have done a lot of community service, especially with my mom at the East Lake Foundation, where she’ll organize service events for The Villages of East Lake,” said McCrary.

Inspired by watching his parents give back to a place they call home, McCrary now follows in their footsteps and has started to get involved with the East Lake Foundation and with the TOUR Championship. Christopher has volunteered with the tournament several times in different roles over the last few years.

It was in 2015 when he first had the opportunity to volunteer at the TOUR Championship, the final event of the FedExCup Playoffs, as an on-course reporter through the First Tee of Metro Atlanta.

“The different interactions I got to see between the players and the fans, to going into the media center and being at a conference table with a player just really intrigued me to come back and volunteer,” said McCrary.

Captivated by his first-year experience, McCrary decided to come back in 2016 (then a sophomore in high school) to take on more responsibility and work as a standard bearer inside the ropes. His relationships with other volunteers had started to develop and he had truly enjoyed volunteering because of the opportunity it provided to interact with different people, including some of the players.

Volunteering at the TOUR Championship over the years was instrumental in building McCrary’s passion to give back to his community. However, it was in 2018 that the tournament had left a significant impact for him, and for so many other volunteers and fans.

“My favorite player would be Tiger Woods, of course, and being at the 18^th hole in 2018 when he won is a moment I’ll never forget,” said McCrary.

Little did Christopher know that this inspirational moment from Tiger would help spur him to be part of his own historical moment, in turn, helping to inspire even more people in his community.

In addition to volunteering at the TOUR Championship, McCrary was also an active member of the Drew Charter School’s golf team. After he had been exposed to the game by his dad and through his involvement with the First Tee of Metro Atlanta, McCrary decided to continue playing at the next level through the Drew Charter School.

“I enjoyed playing because, with as much as I was involved in, it was a time for me to take a break from life and have fun with friends when we weren’t in a tournament,” said McCrary.

But, what McCrary may not have realized at first was he and his teammates would have an opportunity to make history.

In 2019, the Drew Charter School golf team became the first all-African American golf team to win the Georgia state championship title, in addition to becoming the first Atlanta public school to hold this title.

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