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

The event is dubbed the Lifetime Classic Golf Tournament. It is a partnership between Denver’s Lifetime Windows and Siding and Firefly Autism, a nonprofit out of Lakewood that’s dedicated to celebrating the lives of individuals on the autism spectrum through learning, support and solutions. 

“This is Lifetime’s event, but we at Firefly are just extremely grateful to be the beneficiaries of the event,” said Amanda Kelly, president and CEO of Firefly Autism. “This 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.” 

Firefly 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 Firefly has a huge variety of programs and solutions with an extremely individualistic model of care for each case. The 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.” 

The event features more than 100 golfers playing in a four-person scramble model for 18 holes. The 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 Firefly 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 Firefly 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.” 

That began a strong partnership between both parties. After Lifetime sponsored Firefly’s annual gala this year, Criste said the company wanted to continue to help the organization. 

Criste said she wanted to get a local nonprofit as the beneficiary for the first Lifetime Classic Golf Tournament, and Firefly was an easy choice. 

The 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. 

All sponsorships, golfer entry fees, and raffle proceeds will benefit Firefly Autism. 

The day begins with a welcome breakfast with mimosa and bloody mary bars, includes on-course 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. 

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

For more information about Firefly Autism, visit them online at www.fireflyautism.org.