Keri Rickey, ALS United Illinois Ambassador & Golf to Defeat ALS – Mike Rickey Charity Classic Host
When Mike was diagnosed with ALS in 2019, he became very passionate about raising awareness and funding for ALS. He did this by sharing his personal journey, participating in the Peoria Walk to Defeat ALS, and enrolling in a clinical trial to do his part in the on-going research to find a cure for this devastating disease. His family and friends were greatly inspired by his passion and mission to have something positive come from his diagnosis.
Mike had an immense love of golf and the camaraderie it brought with his friends while playing golf, so it seemed only natural that we should hold a golf outing to honor and remember him. When we shared the idea with Mike just a few months before his passing, his face lit up with a huge smile! In true Mike fashion, his one big request was that “we make sure everyone has fun at the outing.” He never wanted anyone to be sad for him but instead to remember him with happiness. We hold his request near to our hearts as we plan the many activities included throughout the tournament.
We felt incredibly blessed by the success of our inaugural outing last year. In all honesty, our hopes and expectations for this year are simply to have another year like the first. Of course, if we manage to raise even more funds for ALS United Illinois, that would be fantastic! We have set our goal at $25,000 this year, which is just a little more than the $23,000 we raised last year.
Not knowing what to expect our first year, we were overwhelmed by the amount of support and positive feedback we received. We were hoping for 60 golfers last year but ended up with a total of 122. Just seeing all the golfers and the many volunteers who came was incredible! I would have to say the biggest highlight though was watching everyone laughing and having fun just like Mike wanted.
The most obvious way we have made the golf tournament a meaningful tribute to Mike and his courageous battle is by incorporating his name into the title. Mike had such a giving heart for others. He always put everyone else first and took the back seat for himself. This is our way of paying it forward to him and honoring him for the amazing person he was and the many lives he touched over the years.
It’s also very important to us to expand the vision of the golf outing. Although we initially founded Golf to Defeat ALS because of Mike, it is truly about every person and family impacted by ALS and all of us working together to raise awareness and funding to help the entire ALS community. We have a page on our website dedicated to ALS Angels (those who have moved on from their ALS journey) and ALS Warriors (those currently facing their ALS diagnosis with courage and bravery). We invite any ALS family who would like to be included to reach out to us at golftodefeatals@gmail.com.
We have several special moments planned at the tournament to honor and remember our loved ones. We will have a dedicated moment of silence before we send the golfers out on the course. We will also have specific holes throughout the course with signage dedicated to the ALS Angels and ALS Warriors. In addition, we have invited the family members to be present to greet the golfers at their specific hole as well as providing them with the opportunity to do something special to honor their loved ones at that hole. Finally, we will have additional moments provided at the post-play party.
More information about the Golf to Defeat ALS – Mike Rickey Charity Classic can be found at www.golftodefeatals.com.