After a two-year hiatus during the pandemic, the Carrington Charitable Foundation (CCF) held its 10th annual CCF Golf Classic benefitting CCF’s Signature Programs that support post 9/11 combat wounded American Veterans on October 10, 2022, at The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast, Calif. The event raised more than $2 million for its initiatives that enable Mobility, Stability, Purpose and Prosperity for U.S. servicemen and women returning from post-9/11 battlefields. CCF is the nonprofit organization of The Carrington Companies. More than 250 golfers participated and the event culminated in a dinner and auction attended by more than 450 people.
“It is a tremendous honor for us to organize this event each year; and we are grateful that so many donors, partners, friends and families were able to gather in person again this year,” said Rosemary Rose, Chairman, Carrington Charitable Foundation. “Each year, the proceeds from this tournament allow us to continue to support and expand the various CCF programs that assist the Veterans and their families who have so proudly served our country. We are absolutely honored to be able to help change their lives for the better.”
Since 2011, the CCF Golf Classic, together with its React 2020 and 2021 virtual events, has raised over $27 million for CCF’s Signature Programs, which provide diverse ongoing assistance to Veterans and their families. In addition to an inspiring day of golf, the event featured an evening banquet and auction, during which attendees bid on a wide variety of items donated by Carrington associates and sponsors. The highlight of the event was Veterans and enthusiastic supporters speaking passionately about the importance of the CCF’s ongoing mission, which supports Veterans through initiatives that provide:
- Mobility: CCF financially supports The Veterans Airlift Command (VAC). Working with a network of volunteer aircraft owners and pilots, the VAC provides free private air transportation for Veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts and their families. One of those Veterans, and a guest at this year’s Golf Classic, was S. Army First Lieutenant Seth Reimers. First Lieutenant Reimers was injured during a rocket attack in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, on April 19, 2007, and was transported by the VAC later that year to visit the families of two fallen brothers in arms.
- Stability: Since 2014, Carrington House provided custom, adaptive homes for catastrophically injured Veterans. To date, Carrington House has built or remodeled 28 homes for deserving Veterans, each designed to meet the special needs of wounded Veterans and their families. In 2021, CCF transitioned to the Gold Star Family Housing Initiative. In association with Mike Haynes, former Commander of U.S. Navy SEAL Team Two, this initiative assists struggling Gold Star families – the immediate family of a service member who died while serving – by paying off their mortgages. To date, CCF has assisted the families of U.S. Navy Lieutenant (SEAL) Mike McGreevy and S. Navy Special Operations Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) David Fegyo. The Carrington Companies and CCF can make a huge difference in the lives of struggling Gold Star families by giving them a place to forever call home, relieved of the economic burden of a mortgage.
- Purpose: CCF assists such Veteran-focused nonprofits, such as the Travis Mills Foundation, that are dedicated to improving the mental health of our Heroes and restoring a sense of normalcy as they return to life post service.
- Prosperity: CCF also supports the The Honor Foundation, which helps Navy SEALs and U.S. Special Operations service members transition to life after service. This pillar of CCF’s Veteran-focused Signature programs works to ease the transition for our Veterans back to civilian life.
Honored Veteran guests at this year’s Golf Classic included U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Michael Jernigan, U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Matthew Miles, U.S. Army Sergeant Matthew Melancon and U.S. Army Master Sergeant John Masson and guest speaker U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills – all of whom were beneficiaries of custom homes through the Carrington House program. Also addressing the assembled guests was Gold Star Spouse, Vanessa Fegyo. Her husband, U.S. Navy Special Operations Chief Petty Officer (SEAL) David Fegyo, displayed unwavering fortitude when he elected to deploy one last time before passing away on October 5, 2014, after a two-year-long battle with service-related brain cancer. U.S. Navy Chief Warrant Officer 4 Michael Fox, a graduate of The Honor Foundation, and now a Carrington associate, spoke about how The Honor Foundation guided him through his transition from Special Operations to the next chapter in his life.
“I am fortunate to be a beneficiary of The Honor Foundation’s one-of-a-kind transition program for U.S. Special Operations Forces Veterans; and I’m proud to say that I now work for an organization that supports that mission through the Carrington Charitable Foundation,” said Fox. “The Honor Foundation enables SOF Veterans to identify and translate skills learned in the military to build a path to their next great adventure in life. CCF’s support and generosity exemplifies its commitment to the core pillar of Prosperity, as well as its continued dedication to the Veteran community.”
To learn more about the Veterans whom CCF supports, please visit: carringtoncf.org/signature-programs. The next Carrington Charitable Foundation Golf Classic will take place on October 9, 2023, at The Resort at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast, Calif.
At the Carrington Charitable Foundation Golf Classic, while singing the National Anthem, celebrated singing painter Joe Everson painted the Statue of Liberty. Upside down.
Carrington House recipient U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Travis Mills, quadruple amputee and co-founder of The Travis Mills Foundation, a nonprofit that assists Veterans, shares his journey of recovery and rediscovery at the Carrington Charitable Foundation’s 10th CCF Golf Classic.
Carrington House recipient U.S. Army Sergeant First Class Matthew Miles pauses for a moment on the course with his family at the Carrington Charitable Foundation’s 10th CCF Golf Classic.
