Chenega Invitational Makes Impact in Multiple Communities
Now Supporting Vigilant Torch Association and the Los Charros Foundation
Each year, Chenega MIOS hosts the Chenega Invitational to benefit the always-deserving men and women who have served our country. Over the course of 16 years of hosting the tournament, we were honored and humbled to have had the support to raise over $1 MILLION for this community.
For the 17th Annual Chenega Invitational, held on May 11, 2023, at Old Hickory Golf Club in Woodbridge, VA, we were approached with an opportunity that would allow us to extend our philanthropic reach to include two different charities: Vigilant Torch Association (VTA), who was our beneficiary last year, and the Los Charros Foundation (LCF). Our goal in this was to make an impact both on the lives of our Nation’s warriors who may be struggling due to their service to our country, as well as the future of America in an underserved community.
The LCF gives back to our Nation’s youth who are pursuing careers post-high school in many fields, including agriculture, education, and trade careers. Many of these fields are quickly dwindling, though they are crucial in our everyday lives. VTA, on the other hand, is a non-profit organization staffed 100% by volunteers and former Special Operations Unit members and associates whose sole focus is to provide comfort and relief items for our special operators who are sick or injured, mentally or physically, because of their service to our Nation. Please read more on the impacts both of these organizations make below the images.
With honoring multiple charities this year, we set out on a mission to raise our greatest funds yet to ensure we were making a significant impact in both communities. To do this, our team set a goal to raise over $103,000… which is no small feat! Though, with the support system we have, filled with incredibly selfless companies and people, we certainly had hope!
It is with great pride and gratitude that we announce that for the 17th Annual Chenega Invitational, we were able to raise over $106,000 for VTA and LCF! This brings our total donated from our Invitational to date to over $1.11M! Our sincerest gratitude goes out to our sponsors, participants, donors, volunteers, and all who played a part in our big day.
This Years' Sponsors
- Chenega Corporation – Title Sponsor
- GCC Tech – Diamond Sponsor
- Marathon TS – Platinum Sponsor
- Capitol Securities –Platinum Sponsor
- SUNAYU, LLC –Gold Sponsor
- CBRE – Gold Sponsor
- Janjer – Gold Sponsor
- US Bank – Silver Sponsor
- iHeart Media – Silver Sponsor
- Fulcrum Vets – Superticket Sponsor
- Iron Bow Technologies – Speaker Sponsor
- Focus Investment Banking – Ice Cream Sponsor
- RSM US – Shirt Sponsor
- expFederal – Program Sponsor
- NGP Group – Hole-in-One Sponsor
- Keenan Coaching and Consulting – Putting Contest Sponsor
- Bank of America – Golf Ball Sponsor
- Thank you for your service SGM Luis A Montero – Mimosa/Bloody Mary Bar Sponsor
- Powers Group Real Estate – Giveaway Bag Sponsor
- Los Charros Foundation – Bar Cart Sponsor
Vigilant Torch Association
Vigilant Torch Association (VTA) is a volunteer organization that provides vital financial support to the Special Operations Community in their greatest time of need. They do this through emergency relief funds, especially for those wounded or killed in action, family maintenance/resilience support, and scholarships for family members.
For those who may not know, the Special Operations Forces (SOF) are highly skilled individuals trained to carry out special and specific types of missions. With this expertise comes extreme responsibilities as well as intense combat in many situations. On top of this, deployments may be longer, and Special Operations soldiers, in turn, are more likely to experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Being in a career that teaches “toughness” and to “keep going no matter the conditions,” there tend to be many barriers to seeking help when experiencing PTSD. When this disease goes untreated, mental health, unfortunately, suffers immensely. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, female veterans are 1.8 times more likely to commit suicide than nonmilitary females, and male veterans are 1.4 times more likely to commit suicide than nonmilitary males. As if those numbers weren’t scary and sad enough, according to the New York Times, between 2007 and 2015, there were 117 suicides among the SOF, a rate of 39.3 per 100,000 servicemen/women compared with 22.9 per 100,000 for the armed forces as a whole.
These statistics are why VTA takes such pride in its mission to serve the Special Operations Community. These service members go through enough in their career of serving our country, so even the slightest bit of assistance can take an extreme load off of their shoulders and give their families much-needed peace of mind.
The Los Charros Foundation
The Los Charros Foundation (LCF) gives back to our Nation’s youth who are pursuing careers post-high school in many fields including; agriculture, education, and trades. Many of these fields are quickly dwindling, though they are a crucial part of our everyday lives. Having lived, worked, and grown up within these underserved communities, the founders of the LCF decided the best way to support these communities is by assisting youth through academic as well as 4-H and Future Farmers of America (FFA) animal project scholarships. With a focus on leadership, education, and agriculture, they strive to assist and provide opportunities to youth who otherwise would not have the same chances as those in larger communities with greater resources.