Upon entering the website for CommuniTyler — a charity started in honor of Northwestern alumnus and formrt Northwestern University Sailing Team (NUST) member Tyler Lorenzi, who died in May following a boating accident — visitors are greeted by five simple words: “Whatever you do, do good.” Indeed, there are perhaps no more words needed and no better way to encapsulate the spirit of Lorenzi, a student whom fellow team members say lived every day by the phrase “life is good.”
Lorenzi’s life will be celebrated this Sunday at the NUST annual Alumni Regatta, which has been renamed after Lorenzi in his honor. The annual regatta invites all NUST alumni to Northwestern's south beach for a barbecue and the chance to race with current team members.
“He definitely left a mark on our team,” said Communication senior Kim Weiczner, the NUST Alumni co-chair. “He was always smiling — I can't even remember a time when he wasn't smiling. The biggest thing he gave to us was his spirit... even on the worst days, he could make everything better.”
The regatta will begin with a memorial service for Lorenzi, which will be open to anyone who wishes to honor Tyler's memory.
“We want anyone who feels like they should be there to be able to come,” Weiczner said of the service, which starts at 11 a.m. in the boathouse on south beach. “Whether it's people who sailed with him, did [Project Wildcat] with him... we want the people who want to honor his memory to be there.”
Lorenzi's friends and family are set to speak at the memorial and will be unveiling the launch of CommuniTyler, whose states mission is “to bring together a community of volunteers with the purpose of supporting each other’s personal commitment to giving back one day a year to local communities through volunteer service, all in loving memory of Tyler Lorenzi.” The charity is organizing service events in cities across the country on Dec. 3, CommuniTyler's official kickoff date.
The organization’s message befits Lorenzi’s personality and spirit, according to Communication senior and NUST member Benjamin Prawer, who first met Lorenzi through pre-orientation program Project Wildcat.
“Something that's so unique about Tyler is that he was so happy and loved life so much," Prawer said. “He had such a warm spirit and 'go-get-'em' attitude about life and took advantage of all the great things life offered just by living.”
Lorenzi's spirit is already having a positive impact on the event, according to Weiczner. Alumni, friends and family of Lorenzi and current NUST members are planning to come out to the regatta in Lorenzi’s honor in previously unseen numbers, an event which Weiczer says has previously been a minimally-attended affair.
“In the past [the regatta] has been very casual and people haven't really been that excited about it... but this year we have a lot more people who have already signed up to sail and who are planning on showing up at the memorial service. We have ten out of our twelve boats booked to be sailed.”
To Prawer, it's no surprise that the event’s tribute to Lorenzi is drawing a larger crowd.
“The event really stands for what Tyler stood for,” Prawer said. “He was always such a supportive person and put so much effort personally into our friendship, which I thought was unusual for someone so much older… I really looked up to him — he was the most amazing person.”
In addition to the launch of CommuniTyler, Communication senior and sailing team member Benjamin Prawer will be announcing a documentary he is making to honor his former teammate. Prawer said it will show the profound impact that Lorenzi had on the people around him.
Though the spike in attendance for this year's regatta is a welcome change for the sailing team, the team hopes that the event will continue to be successful in the coming years, Weiczner said.
“We really wanted to reestablish the significance of the event this year... we hope that people will come back every year to sail and be here for Tyler.”