1. Where It All Began
Thirty-one years ago, a group of volunteers gathered in the basement of then-Father Bob Cilinski’s college chapel to hand-address invitations to friends, family, connections, and past donors for a new fundraiser.
Early organizers included (pictured in order) Gabriel Homes board member Kathleen Connolly, founder Fran Campbell, future board chair Michele Bolos, and Fr. Bob. Kathleen, who knew little about the sport, stepped up to run the tournament when the board first proposed the idea. At the same time, Fr. Bob rounded up undergrads from the Campus Catholic Ministry to join him at the first-ever event.
There were no email invites, online registrations, or any guarantee anyone would come. The volunteers had never planned a golf tournament before, and some knew little about golf beyond how to spell it. What they shared, however, was a belief in Gabriel Homes’ mission. No one knew that they built something that few could have imagined: a decades-long tradition.
2. The Early Years
The first golfers for the Gabriel Homes Golf Tournament mostly consisted of friends, families, and Fr. Bob’s undergrads. The small Gabriel Homes golf committee restlessly handled registrations, prepared gift bags, and presented awards.
By all accounts, the plan worked.
The final numbers were in, and the Gabriel Homes board and staff knew they had something special. Plans for the second tournament were immediately in the works. Mike Holupka, a construction company owner who brought his friends to the first tournament, joined the event’s planning committee.
The Gabriel Homes community grew a little larger at the next tournament. Sponsors brought their colleagues, friends brought more friends, and former students from Fr. Bob’s ministry took time off work to return for Gabriel Homes.
Few realized how far the tournament would go from there.
Continued in Part II.