Raising Money For Autism, One Stroke at a Time

Nick Florek loves his cousins, and he loves golf.

So the Western Springs senior was having a pretty good day on Monday when his Lyons Township golf team hosted 40 guests at the new Chicago Highlands golf club in Westchester as part of a fundraiser for autism—which two of Nick’s cousins have—raising about $9000 in total for the charity organization Autism Speaks.

That includes money raised from guest fees, a silent auction and a raffle that was held Saturday at  Western Springs .

Florek, a member of the renowned Chicago Highlands club, had been planning the event for three months. “I thought it’d be a great idea to put on a fundraiser with the golf team to help raise money for that cause and help support my cousins,” he said. “The whole team got behind it real quick.” (His cousins, Adam and Rachel, are 7 and 4 and live in Glenview.)

“He pretty much had it set in his mind,” said Florek’s dad, Tony. “We helped shape it a little bit, but he knew what he wanted to do, and he wanted to do it with the golf team, and he wanted to do it for his cousins and for a cure for autism.”

The nine-hole benefit tournament took place on the highly-rated and ferociously difficult Highlands course, a private Arthur Hills links-style design that opened last year to critical acclaim. Most noteworthy (and infamously difficult), the elevated, mound-shaped 9th green offers a stunning view all the way to downtown Chicago. (It was named Golf Digest's 2010 "Hole of the Year")

Guests played in foursomes, plus one of 10 LT varsity golfers. The modified “shamble”-style format let the guests take either their own drives or the LT golfer’s, playing normal individual stroke play from there.

LT players got a day off of practice for the fundraiser to tackle an esteemed course instead. (The team is doing well, having bested rivals Hinsdale Central four times already this season) While LT coach Brian Kopecky usually tracks stats from practices, Monday was off the charts. “The whole idea is to have fun, and the emphasis is on the fundraiser,” Kopecky said.

The team of LT golfer Ryan Hudson won with a combined score of -9. Jack Ferguson won the closest-to-the-pin contest by knocking his ball to five feet on the par-3 6th, and Mike McNeily won the long-drive contest with a boomer of 315 yards.

But the real winner was Autism Speaks, who will receive about a $9000 check—$4000 more than Florek’s original goal.

“It sounds funny coming from an adult, but it’s inspiring,” said Jeff Perdew, head pro at Chicago Highlands. “Nick’s one of those special kids who went out of his way to help others, and when somebody does that, you want to support them and their cause.”

Barbara Hudson, who has two sons on the varsity team and a third playing JV, was a major supporter in the organizing of the raffles and silent auction. “It’s no different from going to school: you give back,” she said. “This is a part of the fabric of our family. Our boys are always happy to do it, and they’re quite good at it.”

And while Florek is graduating this year, he hopes to keep the event going to continue raising money and awareness for autism causes.

“It’s our first year doing this, and so hopefully we can do it every year and make it an annual event,” Florek said.

“It’s for a great cause and everyone seems to like it.”