Registration open for A Round for ROGO golf tourney
Registration is currently underway for the 2nd annual A Round for ROGO golf tourney, which will be held at Cape Royal Golf Course this year.
Collin Saring said his good friend Ryan Rogowski passed away a little over a year ago, completely out of the blue.
“It was the last thing anyone was expecting,” he explained.
When things settled down after Rogowski’s passing, Saring said he began thinking of a way to remember him, a good way to honor him for years to come. A golf tourney stemmed from that thought process due to Rogowski being an avid golfer, which was also an escape for him.
The tournament is held as a charity, raising money to keep giving back to the youth. He said the tournament was established to benefit the Cape Coral Youth Center, Youth Golf League and this year a scholarship is being introduced in Rogowski’s name.
Introducing the scholarship fund was really important to him. Saring said students will have to share how important youth sports are to them, how they remember growing up attending summer camps and how camp counselors made an impact on their lives through essays.
The 2nd annual A Round for ROGO will take place Saturday, Sept. 14, at Cape Royal Golf Course, 11460 Royal Tee Circle. There is a shotgun start of 8 a.m. It is $75 per golfer, or $300 for a foursome. Tickets can be purchased at www.eventbrite.com/e/a-round-for-rogo-tickets-69950857899.
Registration ends Tuesday, Sept. 10.
Further information can also be found by emailing aroundforrogo@gmail.com, or by calling (239) 209-3202. Information can also be found at www.facebook.com/events/402248877305112/?ti=icl.
The tourney will include a hole in one, closest to the pin and longest drive contest. It will also include first, second, third, and last place prizes. Surfside and Dunkin Donuts is sponsoring the breakfast.
Tickets include the golf fee, food for the evening – barbecue, hamburgers, hot dogs – drinks on the course, prizes and giveaways.
“It’s all to remember Ryan . . . having a good time while he is watching down on us. It’s about keeping his name alive and well in the youth community,” Saring said, adding that the tournament allows them to still give back even though he is “not with us.”
With the help of his dad, who organized Swing for the Kids, a benefit that evolved after Saring’s mother was diagnosed with cancer while pregnant with his sister, both survived, he was able to put on the first annual golf tournament last year.
“I had a lot of support from Ryan’s family. My dad helped me. It was a new experience for me being in the position really getting everything organized,” Saring said. “There was a good turnout and a lot of support.”
The funds raised were given back to the Cape Coral Youth Center and the youth golf organization at Coral Oaks.
“He was a huge deal at the Youth Center. He worked there for 10 years. He was a site director at the Cape Coral Youth Center,” he said. “It’s a cool way to honor him and keep his name and remembrance every year.”
The money raised last year purchased a great deal of equipment for the youth center, as well as the ability to throw a ROGO pizza party on the last day of summer camp. The youth wore their ROGO T-shirts, which were made after he passed, and had pizza, soda and candy.
“After working there last year I have a great relationship (with staff.) Anytime they need something they can communicate it with me,” Saring said of using the funds to purchase items of need.
Saring said the pizza party was a great way to end the summer. The hope, he said, is to always have that kind of pizza party in Rogo’s honor at the end of summer.
After Rogowski passed, Saring said he worked at the youth center because he felt he had to fill the void.
“It was awesome. It was my first year working for a summer camp. I was trying to fill his void and be a positive role model. The coolest thing was being able to talk to the kids about it (Rogowski’s passing) and telling them stories of Rogo and I growing up,” he said.
Saring said he met Rogowski in sixth grade at Trafalgar Middle School after he was placed in a gifted program.
“He automatically took me under his wing. He helped me turn into a confident person,” he said, adding that he was bullied as a kid. “He told me to be who I am and not worry about what other people think.”
The two friends ended up in Cape Coral where they both attended different high schools.
“He is very missed. It’s the first time I lost someone that young and close to me,” Saring said.