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Many Americans find themselves forced to choose between poverty and risking injury in a dangerous job. As Nick Helms, a San Diego Golf Academy student who lost his father in a mining accident, has found, an education in golf can provide a path out of this type of existence.

Nick Helms knows better than anyone what can happen in a dangerous job, such as mining: in early January of 2006, his father and 12 other miners were trapped in an explosion in the Sago Mine, located in West Virginia. Only one of the miners made it out alive.

Despite the danger inherent in these jobs, many miners continue with the work simply because they have no choice. There are few other jobs in the area that can offer a comparable income. Terry Helms had been a coal miner for 35 years, and he knew well the dangers involved; in fact, he strove to keep his son from facing the same dangers by encouraging Nick to pursue a better life.

Like many others before him, Nick Helms found his escape at the San Diego Golf Academy. Determined to pursue his dream career as a professional golfer, the younger Helms enrolled at the SDGA-Myrtle Beach golf school. With state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, resources such as golf job placement services, and more than 30 years* worth of successful graduates in the field, SDGA will provide Nick with all the education and resources he needs to pursue a successful golf career.

As Sports Illustrated Online reported in its June 14th article, *To Honor the Father,* pursuing his dream career is Nick's way of honoring Terry Helm's wishes. As a San Diego Golf Academy student, Nick will gain an education that will ensure his future, protecting him from the need to put his own life on the line in order to pay the bills or feed his family.