The King of Country Music George Strait and long-time friend and Texas businessman Tom Cusick hosted their seventh annual Vaqueros del Mar Invitational golf event last week (Thursday, Oct. 26) at Tapatio Springs Hill Country Resort in Boerne, Texas raising a record $1,533,450 throughout the golf tournament, charity concert, and auction (with additional monies coming in post-check presentation to surpass the previous year’s record of $1.2 million, helping notch over $1.5 million by the night’s end).
The annual event raises funds for Feherty’s Troops First Foundation, which directly benefits those who fight to keep us free, the wounded military service men and women. The foundation was founded by Rick Kell and on-course reporter for the PGA Tour and former professional golfer David Feherty in 2008 after Kell spent time with patients recovering from serious combat injuries.
A known supporter and former member of the U.S. Army himself, Strait teamed up with Cusick and the foundation as a way to give back in a grand way. The Invitational has now raised more than $4.5 million for military personnel wounded in action since it was created in 2011.
“We can never repay our military veterans for their dedicated service, but we hope our partnership with the Troops First Foundation can show how much we appreciate them,” said Strait. “Giving back is a top priority for me, Tom, our friends, and Tapatio Springs.”
The popular event featured a live auction and a star-packed jam session with Strait and several of his friends in the music business including Dean Dillon, Jamey Johnson and Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel.
Military support from Strait and Cusick reaches beyond the links. In June, Strait and Cusick cut the ribbon on another project, “The Leon Petry Village of Honor,” which was funded by Feherty’s Troops First Foundation. The Village of Honor is located in Washington D.C. in close proximity to Bethesda Naval Hospital and offers transitional housing for wounded service men and women, and their families free of charge which they undergo the long and painful process of rehabilitation from their combat injuries.
