Thanks to our amazing sponsors & attendees – HVAF raised more than $131,000 at Operation Alpha 2021! That’s about $50,000 more than what was raised last year!

What is Operation Alpha?

Hotel Tango Artisan Distillery’s Founder and CEO, disabled U.S. Marine Corps veteran Travis Barnes, started Operation Alpha in 2014. He founded the annual event as a way to raise funds for HVAF’s operations, programs, and services.

Over the years, HVAF has raised thousands at each event – through ticket purchases, silent auction items, games, whisk(e)y pulls, cigar purchases, and more. At first, the event was held at Hotel Tango, but eventually outgrew the space. 2019 and 2021’s events have taken place at The Biltwell Center (with 2020 being a virtual event).

Operation Alpha 2021

The evening started with attendees enjoying Hotel Tango spirits & delicious food while playing some games – including a whisk(e)y pull, cigar pull, and wine toss. A huge shoutout goes to freelance journalist Sarah Jones for being our virtual emcee. She went live on our Facebook page to show viewers everything that was happening, and interviewed attendees as well.

Check out Sarah on Facebook Live here:

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Later, VP for Support Bernie Kruse emceed the event – sharing details about the organization, cracking some jokes, showcasing top sponsors, and presenting the crowd favorite: The Grog Bowl Ceremony.

We are thankful for Bernie’s talents as this is the FOURTH Operation Alpha he has emceed! He puts a lot of time and effort into making sure the program is entertaining and meaningful. Check out the program & Grog Bowl Ceremony below:

A Record-Breaking Year!

Each year, we have been able to set a new fundraising record thanks to our amazing sponsors & donors… this year was on a different level! Our goal for the evening was $25,000… we ended up raising $41,000!! On top of that, adding in sponsorships, games/HVAF swag sales, and individual ticket sales – you helped us raise $131,000+ for homeless & near-homeless veterans! INCREDIBLE!

At the beginning of the program, Bernie said if we reached the $25,000 goal he would sing his Karaoke go-to: Roxane. Check out his legendary performance below:

PHOTO GALLERY:

Click here to view!