CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- As a former PGA professional, Richmond's Robert Wrenn has played in thousands of golf tournaments, both as a pro and an amateur.
He can confess that planning a tournament is more difficult than playing in one.
"It's infinitely more difficult to plan one," Wrenn said with a laugh. "This is more about bringing people out, creating awareness, and helping them understand what this tournament is going to benefit."
Wrenn and his wife Kathy are putting on a tournament this Saturday at Independence Golf Club with the proceeds going to the production of a documentary film. Kathy is the founder of Illume Family Recovery, a group that helps families of those struggling with substance abuse. The documentary will profile the Wrenns and others going through similar circumstances.
CBS 6 profiled the Wrenns and their initiative just one year ago.
The film, initially titled "Family Recovery Documentary" is scheduled for release in early 2025.
"We want families to understand there is a role to play" Kathy explained. "And learning what that role looks like".
Illume's main focus is on rehabilitating entire families, not just those directly suffering from substance abuse. Robert and Kathy went through this with their son and their personal experience has helped hundreds of others open up about their own struggles.
"It's very freeing to be able to share your story" Kathy admitted. "We couldn't do it right away. It took us time to be public about it.
"As soon as we did, it opened the door to other people saying 'Oh my gosh! I have a situation. Can you help me?'"
"People feel comfortable sharing with us once they know what our story is," Robert said. "It's amazing how many people are so thankful that we're willing to put our story out there.
"At first, you feel guilty, You're carrying some shame. What did I do wrong as a parent?" Robert continued. "How did my child get into this situation? There is hope. There are resources out there."
The tournament is Saturday, September 14 at 1:30 on the Par 3 course at Independence. You can find more information about the event, here. There is also a free celebration event open to the public after the tournament.
All proceeds will go towards the production of the anticipated movie which will mix testimonials from families dealing with addiction plus observations from medical professionals in the field of substance abuse.
"We want this film to shine a light on what healthy family recovery looks like," Kathy said. "How can we help contribute to our loved ones' recovery?"
