Mirkhaef Family Marks 15 Years of Sponsorship at 18th Annual Thomas C. Urso Memorial Golf Outing

There’s still time to register for the October 10 outing supporting suicide prevention, youth mental health and children with cancer

Vahooman “Shadow” Mirkhaef and the Mirkhaef family are sponsoring the 18th Annual Thomas C. Urso Memorial Golf Outing on Saturday, October 10, 2026, at Ruffled Feathers Golf Club in Lemont, Illinois, marking 15 straight years of support. Golf registrations and sponsorships are still open, and 100% of proceeds benefit Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation and #TEAMMORGAN mental health initiatives.

LEMONT, Ill., Oct. 08, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The 18th Annual Thomas C. Urso Memorial Golf Outing tees off Saturday, October 10, 2026, at Ruffled Feathers Golf Club, and there’s still time to get in on the day. Chicago-area operations executive Vahooman “Shadow” Mirkhaef and his family are back as sponsors, continuing a 15-year run of support for an event that puts suicide prevention and youth mental health front and center.

The cause is simple and the impact is direct. 100% of the money raised goes to Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation and #TEAMMORGAN’s mental health work. Golfers and sponsors can still sign up, and with the outing less than two weeks away, organizers are encouraging anyone who’s been meaning to register to do it now.

A Tradition Rooted in Family

The Thomas C. Urso Memorial Foundation honors Thomas Urso, a local business and family man who was diagnosed with cancer in 2001 and passed away in 2004. His family and friends held the first golf outing in October 2008, and it’s since become the foundation’s signature fall event. By 2023, the foundation reported more than $250,000 raised since that first round.

The outing has deep ties to Chicago’s freight and logistics community. Nick Urso, one of Thomas’s sons, is president of Bear Cartage & Intermodal, and this year’s sponsor list includes the Illinois Trucking Association, Samsara and Torch Trailer Repair alongside the Mirkhaef family.

Why Suicide Prevention Matters

The need is real. Suicide claimed 48,824 lives in the U.S. in 2024, according to the CDC. That same year, an estimated 14.3 million adults seriously thought about suicide. Reaching young people early, before a struggle becomes a crisis, is at the heart of what this outing funds.

#TEAMMORGAN is the foundation’s student mental health arm. Morgan Urso started #TEAMMORGAN to work with #SameHere after she was removed from her hockey team for telling her coach about her mental health. Her story was featured by ESPN in 2020, and her advocacy helped lead to an Illinois Supreme Court ruling that sports teams can’t discriminate against players struggling with mental health.

Today, #TEAMMORGAN brings mental health programming directly to athletes, including a presentation for Saint Xavier University football players.

Where Every Dollar Goes

Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation was founded in 1992 in memory of Barrett “Bear” Krupa, who died at age eight after a five-and-a-half-year battle with Wilms tumor. Its flagship Bear Hugs program supports patients ages 0 to 19 with customized experiences built around each child’s interests.

The results speak for themselves. Bear Necessities served more than 1,000 children and family members in a single year, and 99% of families said their Bear Hug lifted their child’s spirits when they needed it most. The foundation also covers counseling costs for patients and families, which ties its work directly to mental health.

On the #TEAMMORGAN side, momentum is already building. The 2026 campaign has topped its $15,000 goal with more than $15,100 raised so far, and every new registration adds to that total.

Fifteen Years on the Sponsor List

For Mirkhaef, the October outing is a fixture on the calendar. He’s the founder of Cub Terminal, a depot and repair facility in McCook located 15 minutes from Chicago city limits, and he’s spent his career in the same freight community that fills the course at Ruffled Feathers each fall.

“Every October, this outing brings together people from across Chicago’s freight and logistics community for a cause that touches so many families,” said Mirkhaef. “We’re proud to have sponsored it for 15 years. Helping kids facing cancer and making it easier for young people to talk about mental health is work our family cares about deeply, and we’d love to see even more people out on the course this year.”

Registration and What’s Included

Golf registrations and sponsorship opportunities are available now at TCUGolf26.givesmart.com.

• Foursome: $740
• Individual golfer: $225

Every registration includes:

• 18 holes of golf
• Golf cart
• Golfer gift
• Lunch
• On-course beverages
• Dinner and open bar following golf

Event Details

TCU Memorial Golf Outing

• Saturday, October 10, 2026
• 8:15 AM check-in
• 9:00 AM shotgun start
• Ruffled Feathers Golf Club | Lemont, IL
• Register or become a sponsor: ww.tcumf.org
  

Sponsors

• Bear Cartage & Intermodal, Inc.
• Comprehensive Family Dentistry of Western Springs
• Illinois Trucking Association
• J.J. Doorhy & Associates
• Mirkhaef Family
• Samsara
• Torch Trailer Repair, Inc.
  

About Vahooman “Shadow” Mirkhaef

Vahooman “Shadow” Mirkhaef is a Chicago-area operations executive with experience across logistics, industrial services and regulated operating environments. He’s known for operational discipline and a focus on throughput, asset utilization and infrastructure resilience at inland terminals. Mirkhaef founded Cub Terminal, a Customs Bonded facility in McCook, Illinois, that provides container inspection, storage and repair services around the clock.

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