Teenager Severely Burned When Teacher Conducts Science Experiment

 The Priest James Foundation, focused on healing victims of physical and emotional trauma through the sport of golf, announces its Grand Opening Kick-Off event to be held at 1:00 PM on June 25, 2022, at the UC San Diego Health, Bannister Family House (200 West Arbor Drive, San Diego, CA). Priest James will be on site to cut the ribbon on the installation of a brand new putting green donated to UCSD Hospital Bannister House. The event is open to the public and will include entertainment, refreshments, appetizers, and tours of the Bannister Family House. To RSVP for the event, visit https://priestjamesfoundation.org/events/.

The organization was founded by Priest James Rivera, who suffered life-threatening burns while viewing a science experiment conducted by his teacher. The experiment exploded in Priest’s face, causing his left cheek, ears, neck, chest, eyelid, and hair to catch fire. He was rushed to UCSD Hospital, where he underwent multiple surgeries. As a competitive Golfer, he found himself putting three balls a day into a glass while in the hospital. Hours were spent focusing on overcoming and returning to competition.

Now, at 16, after being burned on nearly a third of his body, Priest James has gone on to compete in PGA pre-qualifying rounds and shot impressive scores from the pro-tees. Realizing that his recovery and success was directly related to the therapeutic aspects of golf, the Priest James Foundation was founded. The mission of the Priest James foundation is to use the sport of golf as a catalyst for healing in the lives of people that have suffered emotional or traumatic injuries.

The organization is focused on providing putting greens for hospitals and medical facilities to utilize as a therapeutic resource. Most recently, the Priest James Foundation installed its first putting green at the UCSD Health, Bannister Family House. The foundation envisions installing more greens prior to the end of the year and many annually during upcoming years.

“There is nothing that means more to me than being able to help others overcome the obstacles that you encounter after suffering a life-changing accident or illness,” said Priest. “The sport of golf was one of the biggest components of my healing; it means a lot for me to be able to do this for others.”

To RSVP for the Priest James Kick-Off event, visit https://priestjamesfoundation.org/events/.

To Support the Priest James Foundation. visit https://priestjamesfoundation.org/.