On the clear and breezy afternoon of Friday, August 23, City of Crown Point hosted its annual Tim Grzych Memorial Golf Outing at The White Hawk Country Club in Crown Point. This event is held to commemorate the late Tim Grzych, a beloved coach, business owner, and Crown Point Board of Works member. Tim Grzych’s friends, family, and other well-wishers came from all over the Region to help honor his memory. Volunteers, some of whom had known Tim Grzych for many years, took off work to help run the event.
South Shore Convention and Visitors Authority (CVA), Gordon Salon, Skyline Media LLC, and American Structurepoint, Inc. were among the event’s sponsors. Leon’s Fabrication, Inc., the family-owned welding and fabricating firm that Tim Grzych co-owned and operated for many years, also sponsored the event. The proceeds of the golf outing supported the Crown Point Community Youth Hockey program, which is based at Bulldog Park’s Timothy J. Grzych Ice Rink. The proceeds of the raffles and course games supported the Crown Point Community Foundation’s Timothy J. Grzych Memorial Scholarship Fund.
Karen Grzych, wife of Tim Grzych and chairperson of the Tim Grzych Memorial Golf Outing, deeply appreciates the outpouring of support that she and her family have received from the event’s attendees.
“This year especially, we want to celebrate the relationships we have formed,” Karen Grzych said. “Possessions are great, but your relationships with others are what truly matter. The people who are here today matter to our family. Whether they are friends, relatives, or businessmen, they are people who care about us, what we stand for, and the causes that we are raising funds for. However, the main reason they are here is to keep Tim’s memory alive. He was an amazing coworker, boss, father, husband, and coach. I deeply appreciate everyone coming out today to help celebrate Tim’s friendship. It’s so wonderful and heartwarming.”
Tim Grzych influenced Crown Point in many ways. His company Leon’s Fabrication, Inc. helped build the ice hockey rink at Bulldog Park that now bears his name. Tim Grzych also served as a volunteer coach in Schererville and Crown Point for many years. He coached soccer, golf, and basketball, and even served as a substitute hockey coach for his son Samuel Grzych’s hockey team. Samuel Grzych, a co-event coordinator of the memorial golf outing and one of the golfers, considers the memorial golf outing to be an excellent way to honor his father’s memory.
“My father loved hockey, golf, and sports in general,” Samuel Grzych said. “I remember how much he loved coming to my games when I played hockey. We wanted to honor his memory by creating a scholarship that provides financial support to Crown Point Youth Hockey players who need it. This event is a way for us to get involved in the community, enjoy some good times, and direct some money towards youth programs, where it’s needed most. We’ve got beautiful weather here today and I’m looking forward to reconnecting with some of my old friends and even some of my dad’s friends who I haven’t seen in a while. We’re looking forward to bringing even more smiling faces out here at next year’s golf outing.”
The memorial golf outing attendees enjoyed course games like a “closest to the pin” competition and a marshmallow game, in which each foursome paid a $20 fee to use Tim Grzych’s golf clubs to hit a jumbo marshmallow as far across the green as they could. A raffle, in which contestants could win gift cards and gift baskets filled with fun and useful prizes, was set up in the White Hawk Country Club Banquet Room. Attendees had a chance to win a 50-50 raffle as well. Alexa Grzych, daughter of Tim Grzych and co-event coordinator, has found the memorial golf outing to be a unique opportunity to learn a bit more about what her father was like in his youth.
“I hope everyone takes the opportunity to remember just how much work my dad put into his friendships and his family as they enjoy the event,” Alexa Grzych said. “I’ve enjoyed engaging with all of the friends that he’s made over the years. When I made the slideshow for this year’s event, I asked his childhood friends to send photos of him when he was young. I’ll look at some of the pictures they sent and see my dad making the exact same face I sometimes make. It’s been really cool to see more of his goofy side and to see my brother and I reflect on him. It’s really great to have everybody here together and I’m excited to honor not only my father but also the people who loved and appreciated him.”
After the golfers returned from the course, they enjoyed a traditional dinner and applauded the winners of the course games and raffles and talked among themselves as Tim Grzych’s favorite songs – compiled into a playlist by Samuel Grzych – played in the background.
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