Lifetime Classic Golf Tournament helps autism nonprofit

Philanthropic scramble to include ra es, silent auction and more

BY JOHN RENFROW JRENFROW@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM

A luxurious day of food and cocktails and even ra es – all while playing 18 holes of golf. at is the plan for July 31 at the Colorado Golf Club in Parker, and it is all meant to help support those with autism.

e event is dubbed the Lifetime Classic Golf Tournament. It is a partnership between Denver’s Lifetime Windows and Siding and Fire y Autism, a nonpro t out of Lakewood that’s dedicated to celebrating the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum through learning, support and solutions.

“ is is Lifetime’s event, but we at Fire y are just extremely grateful to be the bene ciaries of the event,” said Amanda Kelly, president and CEO of Fire y Autism. “ is is incredibly important for us. A great majority of this is not funded by insurance or Medicaid, so we rely heavily on the generosity and support of others. We have a really intensive model, which is primarily a one-on-one model.”

Fire y Autism has existed in Colorado for 20 years, mostly heavily reliant on community support like the upcoming golf event. For a decade Kelly has been involved, and she’s served as the organization’s president and CEO for the past two years.

She said Fire y has a huge variety of programs and solutions with an extremely individualistic model of care for each case. e services include diagnostics programs, early intervention services, schooling and work transition programs, community-based and in-home services, and more.

It’s a lot to fund and requires a great deal of collaboration and community support, she said. Events like the Lifetime Classic Golf Tournament provide a much-needed boost.

“We have a lot going on, with a roof replacement, we’re building a community garden, our building was built in the 1940s,” Kelly said. “Anything that comes from this is going to have incredibly tangible outcomes, both almost instantly and every single day.” e event features more than 100 golfers playing in a four-person scramble model for 18 holes. e golfers registered as four-person teams, duos or singles based on the sponsorship model they signed up for.

Teams and individuals will compete for prizes in multiple contests including closest putt, longest drive, best team score, and more.

With luxury gifts and prizes on the line, as well as both a silent and live auction, golfers can bid on objects or simply donate, with all funds being directed to Fire y Autism.

“I really wanted to look for more impactful opportunities for Lifetime,” said CoCo Criste, director of public relations and community engagement at Lifetime. “As Fire y was moving into their new campus, we found some building solutions we could help them with … so their out-of-pocket cost was far less than it would have been.” at began a strong partnership between both parties. After Lifetime sponsored Fire y’s annual gala this year, Criste said the company wanted to continue to help the organization. e event begins at 10 a.m. with a shotgun start (meaning several golfers will begin at once from separate locations on the course). Interested golfers can sign up for the event at www.lifetimegolfclassic.com. Criste said they’re hoping to have 120 by the event day.

Criste said she wanted to get a local nonpro t as the bene ciary for the rst Lifetime Classic Golf Tournament, and Fire y was an easy choice.

All sponsorships, golfer entry fees, and ra e proceeds will bene t Fire y Autism. e day begins with a welcome breakfast with mimosa and bloody mary bars, includes oncourse food and beverage stations including premium cocktails, beer, and hand-rolled cigars, and concludes with a post-round reception with dinner and cocktails. Additional donations are welcomed as well.

“ e Fire y community inspires and reminds us that anything is possible with proper resources and incredible people surrounding us,” Criste said.

For more information about Fire y Autism, visit them online at www. re yautism.org.