The Colliers Outdoor Challenge just wrapped up its fourth year which is an event that brings in thousands of dollars in donations for the SEAL Veterans Foundation. This foundation was established by the UDT-SEAL Association to better services SEALs, Underwater Demolition Team, and Special Warfare Veterans.
Colliers raised $85,000.00 in donations this year.
“The biggest fundraising event of the year,” stated David Morrison, executive director of UDT-SEAL Association, regarding the Colliers Outdoor Challenge. “There is no other company that supports us in the way that Colliers does. The attention to detail, production, and management of expectations is unmatched. This is our signature event and it continues to grow because of Colliers.”
The UDT-SEAL Association is a non-profit veteran service organization whose members are made up of U.S. Navy personnel who have served, or are presently serving, in the Naval Special Warfare community. The organization is made up of three pillars:
- Member Life Assistance Program (MLAP): providing members of the UDT-SEAL Association with services that positively impact the quality of lives and families of members;
- Scholarships: The scholarship opportunities are offered to dependents of its veteran members who strive to pursue higher learning. The organization has awarded over $1.1 million in scholarships to post-secondary programs;
- History and Heritage: A pillar focused on frequent reunions to gather members on both the east and west coast.
The Outdoor Challenge features several scored events that provide learning or demonstration opportunities for the participants. “We coordinate one to two SEALs at every station to help out,” added Chris Caplinger, president of the local Richmond Chapter. “We love being able to get everyone together and maintain this brotherhood, while also building comradery. This is a great opportunity for the SEALs to connect back with their community and share their own tips, tricks, and stories.”
Unlike typical fundraising events, the Colliers Outdoor Challenge is a series of field sporting events where Richmond business leaders gather to socialize over the course of two days. The first day of participants consist of Colliers’ clients, sponsors, and employees, while the second day becomes a friendly competition for local companies to compete with each other and ultimately support the cause through the sponsorship of teams. Events include a rifle course, clay targets (skeet and trap), handgun range, archery, and crossbow. Each station is led by an instructor with abundant experience and able to provide tips and techniques for that individual challenge. This fourth year attracted 150 participants and 36 companies.
When asked about the creation of the event, Tom Vozenilek, Executive Vice President at Colliers, responded “Colliers has dozens of employees that enjoy the outdoors and shooting sports. We wanted to create a charity event that supported our staff’s interests. This event is like none other in our community and it supports a great organization - the UDT-SEAL Association.”
Dance’s Sporting Goods, along with Smith and Wesson, have been steady sponsors of the event, and along with other contributions, provided the cross bow and handgun stations.
“This was our third year sponsoring. We’re helping so many awesome people who have dedicated their lives to protecting you, so why wouldn’t you want to give back to such a great cause,” stated Marlee Dance, Sales Executive of Dance’s Sporting Goods and Colliers Outdoor Challenge committee member. “The coolest thing to me is getting to meet the SEALs, learn about their backgrounds, and see how active they still are. We actually went skydiving with them a few years back, it was their way of saying ‘thank you’.”
“When we first connected with Colliers and learned about the event, we were already on board because it was something other than a golf tournament,” added Marlon Dance, Owner of Dance’s. “The best part is this is solely for Virginia, it’s money being raised to give back and help out our community.”
Colliers would like to thank all the committee members, volunteers, and sponsors that ultimately make this event possible. To see those details and learn more about the Colliers Outdoor Challenge please visit: https://www.richmondoutdoorchallenge.com/. You are encouraged to contact Lyndsey Capps, lyndsey.capps@colliers.com, or Tom Vozenilek, tom.vozenilek@colliers.com, for more information or to get involved in next year’s event.
