GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Two years ago, the death of Lindsey Vogelaar and her husband, Costas Sivyllis, made headlines after the two died in a plane crash in Colorado, just four days after their wedding.
Lindsey’s sister, Courtney McKeever, knew that the legacy her sister left behind had to be carried on. She just had to figure out how.
Fast forward to 2022 and she’s found the answer.
Saturday, Courtney will host the 2nd Annual Lindsey and Costas Memorial Golf Outing.
It’s a fundraising event that has grown to 29 teams, along with donors and volunteers. Many of them have been impacted in some way by the story of this family’s loss.
The money the golf outing raises goes to support other families who are grieving the loss of a loved one.
Lindsey’s family hopes to pass along the joy she radiated to others by funding a get-a-way trip for another family.
In it’s first year, the golf outing raised $13,000, which was split between two deserving families. Each of them got to go wherever that money could take them.
FOX 17 talked with one of the recipients, Harry Rissley. Rissley's seven-year-old daughter, Ruby, died in February 2021 after getting hit by a car while walking home from school.
Harry used the money from the fundraiser to rent an RV and get away with his three boys. They drove south, stopping at Ruby Falls in Tennessee.
“It was pretty cool that they got to experience that and, you know, we talked a lot about Ruby that day,” Harry said. “Knowing people out there are doing good things with tragedies. It’s very inspiring.”
Harry took that inspiration and turned it into his own nonprofit to help feed people struggling with homelessness, with even more outreach on the horizon. He says it’s all in honor of Ruby: who she was and how she treated others.
If you know a family experiencing loss and you think they could benefit from something like this, visit the Lindsey Vogelaar and Costas Sivyllis Memorial Fund to nominate them.
Nominations will be taken until October 1.
