West Cook News

Seventeen-year-old Sam Wilda is using his passion for golf to make a difference in his community.

Alongside co-host Finley Tyrrell, Wilda will lead the fifth annual Junior Chicago Cup, a two-day Ryder Cup-style tournament set for July 22 and 23 at Edgewood Valley Country Club. 

The event brings together 24 junior golfers, each raising funds to participate, with proceeds benefiting two charitable organizations: Helping Hand and the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) ACE Grant Program.

Flyer for the 2025 Junior Chicago Cup. | Instagram / Junior Chicago Cup

“This year I'm partnering with AJGA, the American Junior Golf Association, and we're hosting a charity fundraiser tournament for both Helping Hand and the ACE Junior Grant,” Wilda told West Cook News. “And so it's going to be 24 kids, each raising money to play in this tournament, and then all the proceeds are going to split between those two charities.”

Now in its fifth year, the Junior Chicago Cup has become a notable event in youth golf, offering players the chance to compete in a team format. 

Wilda, a resident of Western Springs and junior at Nazareth Academy, was asked by AJGA to serve as a host and was given the opportunity to select the charities the event would support. 

“They allow the host to pick charities,” Wilda said. “So I picked Helping Hand just because it's something that's personal to me. I've done a bunch of work with the Special Olympics. And then also, I have family members and friends that have had problems with mental disabilities and things like that. So I've picked Helping Hand as our charity, and I've been doing a bunch of promotional stuff over there with them. It's gonna be great.” 

Helping Hand, based in the Chicago area, provides education, therapy, housing and other services for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The ACE Grant Program provides financial assistance to junior golfers competing at the national level.

Wilda recorded a promotional video with Majdy, a recipient of Helping Hand’s programming.

“I was over there, and I was working with them,” Wilda said. “And one of their patients was a huge fan of golf, so he was really excited to hear about how I was helping raise money for Helping Hand. So we scheduled a video to do with him, and he was real excited.”

In the video, Wilda highlighted the impact of the fundraiser and encouraged community involvement.

“When you donate, you help transform lives of individuals like Majdy that Helping Hand supports,” Wilda said in the video. "We’re very excited to see everyone come out.”

Majdy expressed heartfelt appreciation for Wilda’s support.

“Thanks for the time for doing this video,” Majdy said. “I don’t know how to thank you.”

As of early June, the campaign had already raised more than $9,000.

“Our goal right now is $55,000,” Wilda said. “But we’re hoping to see if we can raise even more than that.”

In the 2024-25 golf season at Nazareth Academy, Wilda earned all-conference honors and qualified for the IHSA state finals as a contributor to the varsity team’s 7th place state finish.

This is Wilda's second year hosting the Junior Chicago Cup. 

“I want to make a good impact on the world. I just think that it's kind of my purpose, and I thought that there's no better way than to help out Helping Hand, a charity that's important to me, than by using the Junior Cup and getting a bunch of people together to raise money.”

Donations can be made online at Leadership Links or by mailing a check to the AJGA with Wilda’s name in the memo.