Jane Siebers wakes up at 5:30 a.m. each day and about two hours later is in the water, swimming 72 laps, the equivalent of a mile, in an Olympic-size pool. It’s a routine that Siebers, the Executive Director of the Morton Golf Foundation, has had in her life for 44 years.
“Since the age of 4, I’ve always been a big swimmer. That’s my No. 1 sport – swimming,” said Siebers, a resident of Rancho Murieta, about an hour’s drive from the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento. “When I get up in the morning, my ritual for the day is off to the pool, 12 months a year. By the time I get to work, I’m ready to go to work.”
Siebers said swimming helps her out in so many ways – mentally, physically, emotionally. She does some stretching before she gets in the pool, and the daily workout helps Siebers as she maps out her work day, which begins at 10 a.m., when she gets to Haggin Oaks. “I’ve always been a real lap swimmer, real regimented. It’s very methodical for me. I always feel that I’m healthy from the inside out. When I swim, it lets me plan my day. And so, by the time I get to work, I just walk through my day after it’s planned.” said Siebers, a native of Kaukauna, Wisconsin.
Siebers has been with the Morton Golf Foundation, a nonprofit organization, since it began in 2009. According to its website, mortongolffoundation.org, the Morton Golf Foundation “funds programs offering a healthy outdoor recreational environment that stresses the building of lasting personal relationships while seamlessly instilling life’s core values for the youth, disabled, and under-served communities of Sacramento.”
In 2008, according to its website, “the owners of Morton Golf LLC decided as part of their community outreach to create a 501c3 charitable entity to financially help underserved golf organizations that are in need as well as programs for the disabled and youth within the Sacramento Region.
“Today, the Morton Golf Foundation is helping better the lives of several kids programs, disabled programs and hundreds of underserved individuals each and every year.”
Prior to joining Morton Golf Foundation, Siebers was with the Gold Rush Classic, a PGA Tour Champions event that ran from 1987 to 2001 in the Sacramento area. Siebers was an event coordinator for the Gold Rush Classic, which was played at Rancho Murieta Country Club from 1987 to 1995, and then later at Serrano Country Club in El Dorado Hills from 1996 to 2001.
Siebers then went to work as an event fundraiser planner for First Tee – Greater Sacramento for four years, from 2004 to 2008. First Tee, according to its website, firstteesacramento.org, “is a youth development organization that enables kids to build the strength of character that empowers them through a lifetime of new challenges. By seamlessly integrating the game of golf with a life skills curriculum, we create active learning experiences that build inner strength, self-confidence, and resilience that kids can carry to everything they do. We’re Building Game Changers through our junior golf programs.”
Originally from Wisconsin
Siebers and her husband, Rob Siebers, met in kindergarten, at Nicolet Elementary School in Green Bay, WI.
“This year, we’ll be married 45 years,” Jane Siebers said.
She went to Kaukauna High School, graduating in 1973. She was involved in several sports growing up. She took up golf when she was 15, taking lessons at a YMCA in Appleton, WI.
“The rest is history,” she said.
She and Rob were members at Rancho Murieta for 30 years. She now plays at Haggin Oaks, which features two courses – Alister MacKenzie Golf Course and Arcade Creek Course. If she is not too busy, Siebers said he enjoys getting out after work and playing nine holes, before going home.
“It’s a time when I get to enjoy the outside. It’s a pleasure to work here and play here, because all of my activities are here. So now I get to really know all the holes,” she said.
Siebers worked in the insurance field, and Rob went off to college at the University of Wisconsin. They got married after Rob finished college.
“I worked in a business atmosphere. And that set me up for my career in business for the rest of my life,” she said.
Jane and Rob moved five times on account of Rob’s work with Coca Cola. Rob Siebers retired as president of Sacramento Coca-Cola Bottling Co., Inc., and is a Morton Golf Foundation volunteer board member and the MGF Grant Administrator for the Junior Golf Development Grant.
Work with Gold Rush Classic, First Tee – Greater Sacramento
Jane Siebers was with the Gold Rush Classic, as an event coordinator, all 15 years. “We worked year-round for the one-week event,” she said. Siebers set up different activities for the player’s wives during their annual stay in the area. “It was always interesting for them to see what Sacramento was all about,” she said. Siebers also planned and coordinated seminars with personal trainers, focusing on how to stay healthy after the age of 50, how to exercise and travel. “Due to my fitness background, I would hire different personal trainers. I would bring the pro’s wives in and we would do different seminars. There were always seminars and different inspirational things for the pro’s wives to attend,” she said.
Siebers was with First Tee – Greater Sacramento for four years, from 2004-2008. Through its golf-based personal growth programs, “we see kids build life and leadership skills that empower them in all areas of life, including school, friendships and eventually careers,” First Tee said on its website, firstteesacramento.org.
Morton Golf Foundation
Siebers started with Morton Golf Foundation in 2008, after meeting with Ken Morton, Sr., a PGA Master Professional and the Chief Executive Officer for Morton Golf LLC. He was inducted into the National PGA Hall of Fame in 2005 and was named as the National PGA Professional of the Year in 1998.
The Foundation began in 2009.
“Ken Morton, Sr. came to me and said, ‘I want to start a foundation that turns no person away from playing the game of golf.’ He wanted to start a foundation that encompasses all people, so we do youth, disabled and underserved,” said Siebers. “There’s a lot of different people. They’re not only juniors. They’re all walks of life, all ages. If I had a look at what Morton Golf Foundation funds, it could fund somebody as young as 10 years old or into their 80s.”
Morton Golf Foundation provides college scholarships and support for the Sacramento State women’s golf and UC Davis golf teams. Support is also provided, according to mortongolffoundation.org, for the following organizations:
- American Heart Association.
- Angels for Hearts.
- Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Sacramento.
- Center for Fathers and Families.
- First Tee of Greater Sacramento.
- Hiram Johnson High School Life & Golf Skills Facility.
- Junior Golf Development Grants.
- Latino Jr. Golf Association.
- LPGA Amateur Golf Association.
- NCGA Foundation/Youth on Course.
- No. CA Minority Jr. Golf Scholarship Assoc., Inc.
- NCPGA Foundation/PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere).
- Rocklin Little Thunder Jr. Golf Programs.
- Sacramento Golf Council.
- Saving Strokes Program.
- Society for the Blind.
- Special Olympics of Northern CA/CA Eagles Golf Programs.
- Veterans’ Golf Program.
“About 16 years ago, Ken asked me to join, and I went, ‘No, no, no. I’m real happy with First Tee,’ ” said Siebers. “And then finally, when I got over here, you never know what more you can do. Again, I inspired kids through programs at that particular time for First Tee. But there’s nothing more inspiring than to give money to somebody who could never afford what they’re doing. In other words, we have people that come to us that even ask for gas money, because there’s no way that they can get to the next event, knowing that they need money for gas.”
There are 50 volunteers who assist Siebers with Morton Golf Foundation during the year.
“As I continually say, every night, we are the winners. Every night, we know we can lay our head on our pillow, and we’ve done good for someone. Tom Morton, who’s our President, has always said to me if we can help one child every day, we’ve met our mission,” said Seibers.
It’s a big year for the Morton Golf Foundation, as it puts on an annual Easter Egg Hunt on Easter Sunday, April 17, from 11 a.m. to noon, at Haggin Oaks. There are over 1,000 who participate in this event, which also includes a free pancake breakfast.
“The camaraderie and the games that we play and the fun that we do, it’s through the game of golf, but we’re not playing the game of golf. It’s just amazing,” she said.
Also coming up: - July 29: 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., Junior/Senior Funvitational.
- September 9: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Special Olympics Golf Regionals.
- September 14: 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., The Putting Party.
- October 17-18: Golf & Guitars Celebrity-Am Tournament and Concert.
- November 5: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Junior Golf Marathon. 100 Holes of Golf at Bing Maloney Golf Complex.
“One of our best events of the year is the golf regionals that Special Olympics puts on. They have not done that for the last two years. And so, this September, we’re back to the golf regionals, and Morton Golf Foundation is the No. 1 sponsor of that event. I get to bring 35 volunteers that day. All of the volunteers come back to me and say, ‘I’m back in for next year.’ We work a little bit more one on one with our special needs adults, and that’s just really rewarding,” said Siebers.
The biggest fund-raiser of the year is Golf & Guitars, an annual event at Haggin Oaks that features a charity tournament at the MacKenzie course and concert that is led by country music artists and songwriters. Last year’s 13th annual Golf & Guitars raised $120,000.
According to www.mortongolfsales.com, Golf & Guitars is a celebrity pro-am golf tournament and concert featuring nationally recognized & major label country music artists that raises money for key children’s charities in Sacramento.
One-hundred percent of the net funds are donated to charity, www.mortongolfsales.com said.
In 13 years of putting on the event, Morton Golf Foundation has awarded over $300,000 in college scholarships to area youth.
Morton Golf Foundation also provides:- Educational scholarships. Siebers is hoping that Morton Golf Foundation can award 20 to 30 scholarships. They range from $1,000 to $5,000.
College scholarship recipients are invited to a recognition dinner on Wednesday, May 17 at the Haggin Oaks Golf Complex, mortongolffoundation.org reported.
“Winning this scholarship is recognition for your achievements during your high school years,” mortongolffoundation.org reported. - MGF Junior Golf Development Grant. According to mortongolffoundation.org: “MGF Junior Golf Development Grants provide financial support for families to help their children learn to compete, develop skills, enhance core values, and build lasting relationships through the game of golf.”
- Morton Golf Foundation Grant Application.
The Morton Golf Foundation, according to mortongolffoundation.org, “was created for the purpose of working with other 501c3 organizations and individuals to promote better health, to provide educational scholarships, to bring the lifestyle of golf to the underprivileged and underserved and to teach life’s core values that emanate from the great game of golf. Those needs will generally be supported within the Sacramento Region.”
Cameron Champ and Austin Smotherman have each received assistance when they were juniors from Morton Golf Foundation. They are both from the Sacramento area. Champ is a three-time winner on the PGA Tour and Smotherman is a rookie on the PGA Tour.
“Cameron Champ was one of our first kids that we funded,” said Siebers. “He and Austin Smotherman never forget where they came from.”
Siebers is also Marketing Events Coordinator for Morton Golf LLC.
Board and Committee Members for Morton Golf Foundation include:
Tom Morton, President; Mike Woods, Vice President; Terry Daubert, Treasurer; Ken Morton, Jr., Secretary; and Ken Morton, Sr., Honorary Director.
*Marty James is a freelance writer who makes his home in Napa. He retired on June 4, 2019, after spending 40 years as a sports writer, sports editor and executive sports editor for the Napa Valley Register, a daily newspaper in Napa County. He is a 1979 graduate of Sacramento State and a member of the California Golf Writers & Broadcasters Association. He was inducted into the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Hall of Fame in 2016.
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