Chenega Invitational Breaks Records in 19th Year Running

Posted on May 19, 2025

On Thursday, May 8, 2025, Chenega MIOS and supporters of the Chenega Invitational ventured out to Old Hickory Golf Club in Woodbridge, VA, all with a shared mission for the day – to raise as much money for charity as possible. In its 19th year, the Chenega Invitational would be giving back to the Los Charros Foundation, Inc. and Vigilant Torch.

All in all, after a long and entertaining day, we are so proud and grateful to have surpassed our previous record and were able to raise over $115,000, bringing our total raised through the years from this Invitational to over $1.36 M.

For those who may not be familiar, the Chenega Invitational is hosted each year to not only raise funds for these more than deserving charities, but to bring together the community and businesses to share in the importance of the day. This year, we were so fortunate to have 18 generous companies sponsoring our tournament and leading the charge in our fundraising goals.

The day kicked off at 7:30 am with registration along with the Bloody Mary & Mimosa bar. After having heavy rain earlier in the week, the sun shining down on the course was a pleasant indicator that an immense impact was about to be made on that beautiful tournament morning. Players started rolling in with smiling faces, all ready to take on the challenges of the course – both regular course challenges, such as water and sand pits, and our own fun challenges that we had implemented. One of our newest sponsorships, our Handicap Hero Sponsorship, allowed us to throw in a couple of fun games at different holes that were aimed at helping participating team’s scores. This first game included a cornhole board. Players who sank a bag in the board were allotted to then tee off from the raspberry tees, a massive benefit on this particular hole. The second game saw players rolling a giant dice. The number that they landed on then decided where they would be teeing off from. The challenge here? Certain numbers allowed the competitive advantage of teeing off ahead of the rest of the crew. However, other numbers would send you backwards, teeing off from a less than ideal location. Was the potential benefit worth the risk? Many of our players thought so, and had a great time accepting the challenge! We love to keep the tournament interesting and are grateful for our players who are always such great sports about the new additions we make to the play.

We would like to send a special shout out to our sponsoring companies, businesses who donated to our raffle, players, donors, and all who contributed in making the day such an astounding success. Without your support, we would not have been able to keep this Invitational running for now 19 years. We cannot wait to see what’s in store for the coming years!

Our Benefitting Charities

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.

On the other hand, 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. 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.

Photos

Click here to find our Facebook album of photos from the big day: 19th Annual Chenega Invitational

Our Incredible Sponsors

Our Benefitting Charities

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