CJR invitational tournament nets $200,000

LITCHFIELD — Robert G. Phelan, Chair of the 25th Annual CJR Invitational Golf Benefit, recently announced that funds raised through the June 21 event, held at the Torrington Country Club, topped $200,000 in net proceeds.

Phelan, who has been chairman of the event since 2006, is chairman and CEO of TriPoint, an Avon-based insurance company. He indicated that cumulative proceeds raised through the CJR Invitational to benefit the Connecticut Junior Republic, a Litchfield-based organization that helps children, youth and families across the state, now exceed $1.7 million.

“This year’s fundraising success was significantly impacted by an anonymous $25,000 challenge gift in honor of the CJR Invitational’s 25th Anniversary and the role of Founding Chair, Gregory S. Oneglia, in establishing and sustaining the event for the benefit of CJR,” noted Mr. Phelan. Mr. Oneglia is Vice Chairman of the Torrington-based O&G Industries, Connecticut’s largest, privately held construction company.

“As a result of the anonymous challenge gift, CJR was the beneficiary of an amazing cascade of support from event sponsors, members of the Board and Advisory Council and the Litchfield community, as well as others who know and respect Greg as a community leader, friend and family member,” said Matthew Karpas, Chairman of the organization’s Board of Directors. “The results of this year’s CJR Invitational are not only an incredible tribute to Greg as its Founding Chair, but also provide muchneeded funds that were lost when CJR cancelled its fundraising events last year due to the pandemic,” he noted.

In addition to thanking Mr. Phelan and Mr. Oneglia for their many years of generous leadership as Chair and Founding Chair of the CJR Invitational, respectively, and for their continuing service on the CJR Board of Directors, Mr. Karpas recognized the volunteer members of the Golf Planning Committee for their important contributions to the success of the event: John F. Boyd of Litchfield and Deborah Laviero of Bristol, Community Involvement; Jennifer Parsons of Litchfield, Prizes and Promotion; Louisa Roraback of Goshen, Volunteers; Jessica O. Travelstead of Litchfield, Sponsors; and Martha Bernstein of Litchfield, CJR Board Development Committee chairperson.

O&G Industries was the event’s $10,000 Diamond Level Sponsor and TriPoint was a $5,000 Emerald sponsor. Celebrity participants for the day included NBC Connecticut meteorologist Bob Maxon, retired news anchor Gerry Brooks, and retired political reporter, Tom Monahan, and ESPN SportsCenter anchor, Michael Eaves.

The Mitchell Auto Group, with dealerships in the Farmington Valley and Hartford area, donated an all-electric XC-40 Volvo Recharge as the Hole in One prize.

The CJR Invitational was established by Gregory Oneglia in 1996. He expressed particular gratitude to this year’s sponsors, a number of which have supported the benefit annually since its inception. “We are very fortunate to have such loyal and generous participants,” he stated. “Our sponsors have helped us raise cumulative net proceeds over the past 25 years that are now approaching $2 million,” he noted.