The Geneva National Member’s Club (Lake Geneva, Wis.) raised $250,000 for Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) through its August 3, 2026, golf outing, dinner and auction, marking another year of generosity from Geneva National members and their network of supporters.
The achievement brings the Members Club’s fundraising for SOWF to approximately $1.4 million over the past decade — the result of a sustained, member-led effort to support the families of America’s Special Operations Forces.
Geneva National members are the driving force behind the annual fundraiser. They organize the event, recruit sponsors, cultivate donors, secure auction items and contributions, and bring together friends, businesses and community partners in support of SOWF’s mission. Destination Geneva National is proud to provide a home for their efforts. Each year, the resort donates use of its golf course for the fundraising outing and its banquet space for the dinner and auction. Community and corporate partners, including this year’s dinner sponsors, CCI and Lowell Custom Homes, further extend the reach and impact of the members’ fundraising.
Taking the stage at GN’s August 3 fundraiser were two special guests: SOWF President & CEO Admiral Milton “Jamie” Sands III, a retired Navy SEAL flag officer, and SOWF scholarship recipient Forrest Haydon, whose father, Army Major Joseph Haydon passed away in 2005 while assigned to US Army Special Operations Command.
“On behalf of the students and team at Special Operations Warrior Foundation, I’d like to thank the Geneva National Community for their generous support of our mission and children,” states SOWF President & CEO Admiral Milton “Jamie” Sands III, a retired Navy SEAL flag officer. “We provide comprehensive academic support and advocacy for the children of our fallen and widowed Special Operations Personnel, and for the children of our Medal of Honor Recipients. The care and compassion demonstrated by the men and women of Geneva National for this mission and for these children was eye watering. Geneva National – you are making a real difference in the lives of these children. We simply could not be more grateful.”
From personal experience, Forrest Haydon shares his appreciation. “I cannot begin to express my gratitude, knowing throughout that the college admission process was no longer on our family,” he states. “I am forever thankful for all the incredible things SOWF does for military personnel and their families. I am proud to be attending my dream school, the University of Chicago, because of all the foundation does to honor those who have given their lives.”
Geneva National membership plans to extend this decade of meaningful support for Special Operations families for years to come with the annual golf-dinner-auction slated for August 2027.
