If I had a nickel for every time I heard old people grumbling about “Kids these days,” I’d have almost as many nickels as I would if I got one every time I heard some old fart prattle on about how much a nickel used to buy.

Seriously, if you listen to curmudgeonly coots enough (or watch Faux News), you get convinced that the world today is being carried to hell in a handbasket by Lucifer himself.

While it is true that some pessimism might be warranted, especially in the cases of reckless, spoiled brats like Tripp Isenhour, I would much prefer to focus on remarkable young people – and golfers – like Yuvish Singh.

Yuvish is an 11-year-old Canadian who is not just satisfied playing and winning junior tournaments in both Canada and the U.S. So, as a way to use his golf to benefit humanity, Yuvish founded Birdies for the Children. According to the organization website, Yuvish’s plan was to donate $20 for each birdie and $50 for each eagle he made on the junior tour to UNICEF.

That’s money from his own pocket.

Or at least, that’s how it began. Since its inception, Birdies for the Children has grown into an impressive foundation. At the 2007 Champions Dinner and Fundraiser, Yuvish donated $300 to UNICEF, while attendees to the dinner contributed $2300.

There are even corporate sponsors and member golf courses (mainly in Canada).

What would inspire an 11-year-old who likes standard pre-teen stuff like video games, playing the guitar, and fishing – oh, and who played his first 9-hole course at three years of age – to do something so selfless, so generous, and so totally awesome? (Dude!)

Here are Yuvish’s own words: “I am fortunate that I am able to play golf, but many children are not so fortunate. For them each day is a struggle. Millions of children go to bed hungry each night. It shocks me that each year 9.7 million children die even before they are 5 years old. War and poverty have denied them their basic human right, the right to life.”

Hey Lucifer, take your handbasket and put Tripp Isenhour in it. The world, and today’s youth, might be just fine after all.

Birdies for the Children founder Yuvish Singh shows that his swing is as admirable as his heart.

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