Tony made the most of every day
Help us make sure others can too
Four years. Three cities. One community that didn't want to just remember, they wanted to do something RAD.
$160k
raised over 3 events
172+
attendees per event
60+
sponsors and partners
Our StoryTony Laughlin grew up in Arlington Heights. Second of three brothers. A family where work was honest, love was loud, and community was centered around sports.
He became a published biomechanist, golf instructor at The Glen Club, sports scientist at ASMI and IMG Academy, and Director of Sports Science at Guided Knowledge. He didn't just teach a swing. He studied the movement of life itself.
On May 16, 2021, Tony was driving from Sarasota to Miami to pitch a new golf sensor product to an investor. While passing through Alligator Alley on I-75, a pickup truck hit him head on. He died at the scene, 37 years old, leaving behind his wife, their three year old daughter, and a community of family and friends.
We want to do something RAD
RAD Golf Fest
A golf event that turns grief into community, strangers into foursomes, and a day on the course into something people talk about all year.
Illinois is in year 4, Colorado and Florida are next!
Community Art Exhibits
Our goal is to fund an Embracing Our Differences community art exhibit in Illinois. Art that challenges people to see the world differently, and is made accessible to every school and family in that community.
Grief Resources
We want to give more than flowers. We are building grief resource kits that elevate people in loss and give them real tools for the journey: the gift of golf, experiences, and human connection.
Help us go further
Your gift funds the infrastructure, staff, systems, and community programming that turns three family zip codes into a national movement.
You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
Resources that can help navigate grief
We're not experts. But we've spent years finding things that actually helped and we want to share them. If you're in the middle of something hard right now, these are a good place to start.
Willow House
The mission of Willow House is to provide grief support and education for youth, families, schools and other communities grieving the death of a parent, sibling, or child. Our free services are where hope lives and healing begins, providing space for people to grieve in companionship with others who share a similar loss. Our vision is that no child, teen or parent grieves alone.
Virtual and Illinois Support Groups for children and families
Music & Memories
Tony danced through life. When we lost him, we built a playlist of songs he would have loved, a photo album of memories with him, and a story book of fun Tony times to share with his daughter, contributed by everyone who knew him. We constantly turn to these as a way to help navigate grief and do things to honor Tony’s life.
Researching the Science and Process of Healing from Grief
Tony was a leader, a teacher, and someone deeply grounded in science. He was a published scientist and was always eager to learn from top researchers in any field he was interested in.
When you lose someone in your life, it requires you to rebuild your relationship with that person and with all the plans you had for the future. Beyond seeking therapy and counseling, we encourage you to explore insights from experts who are researching the most effective ways to navigate your personal grieving process.
Dr. Andrew Huberman, a neuroscientist and tenured professor at Stanford University, specializes in neurobiology and ophthalmology. In the link below, he discusses grief, the challenges of processing different types of loss, and the biological mechanisms behind grief — including how neural circuits for emotional and factual memory interact with those for love and attachment to produce feelings of absence and yearning. The link includes Dr. Huberman’s full podcast, along with additional resources, books, and studies for those going through the grieving process.