The Centurions are sailing into 2025 with a larger-than-life themed event that seeks to raise $500,000 in one night for local charities.
The Great Centurions Regatta — A Naughty Yachty Affair will celebrate all things nautical — with an 80s spin — from 6 p.m. to midnight on Saturday, April 26 at Kino Sports Complex, 2500 E. Ajo Way.
“Our opening band is the famous 80s band Yächtley Crew. I saw them back in January at the Rialto and they were great, so we will have 90 minutes of songs by them that we all know by heart with everyone singing along, and then the headliner is Barenaked Ladies. It was my choice to go heavier in bands and hopefully that will correlate to giving more money to Southern Arizona charities,” said Dan Nentl, 2025 Centurions Event Chair & President.
The huge fundraiser expects to welcome at least 7,000 attendees to the open air venue which will be transformed with stages, casino games for prizes, numerous lounge and venues for themed meals and drinks, a DJ, a costume contest and much more. The evening, which has become a tradition for many Tucsonans seeking a fun night out — complete with a concert — is the culmination of a year of work which includes extensive planning and coordination with various city and county entities, according to Nentl.
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Centurions, who are comprised of 100 local business owners, professionals and others who “are not afraid to get their hands dirty,” begin setting up the stadium the Wednesday prior to the event.
“It is a tremendous amount of work. The days of throwing together a bash are gone. The leadership team has been working since last June planning catering, marketing and all of the logistics ... 100 active members have been raising money and working as hard as they can to do this for Southern Arizona. It is a labor of love for sure,” said Nentl, a 13-year veteran of the service group.
The effort has paid off. Over the past 55 years, Centurions have raised more than $8.8 million to serve at-risk children and their families. This year, beneficiaries include the TMC for Children Centurion Pediatric Simulation Unit; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Arizona; Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Southern Arizona; Children’s Advocacy Center of Southern Arizona; and Therapeutic Riding of Tucson (TROT).
Nentl is proud of the Centurions’ stewardship of funds, which are funneled directly toward programs and services for charities.
“One of the things I am really proud of is how this group vets beneficiaries to make sure they are not top heavy for salaries and to ensure they meet our mission, which is supporting at-risk children, health education and mentorship. We focus on putting money to work where it can make the biggest impact with groups that can benefit the most from our donations,” Nentl said.
He emphasized that Centurions are particularly proud of The Pediatric Simulation Unit, which was made possible by a multi-year commitment totaling $600,000. It is the result of a long-term partnership of pediatric support with TMC that was recently renewed for an additional five years.
“The Simulation Lab is really special. It has high-tech mannequins that are very lifelike and they can be programmed to replicate different conditions and ailments and then they respond to treatment. Along with simulating diseases, they can simulate different real-life emergency situations so doctors and nurses can train in emergency response. It will be a regional pediatric training center,” said Chris Hanson, Executive Director of the Centurions.
Nentl and his team also hope to promote awareness about the beneficiaries through the upcoming event, which they would like to grow into the single most successful fundraiser in the city.
“We are really excited. The last few years we have been experimenting and gravitating to larger name bands and Barenaked Ladies will be the biggest yet. Both Yächtley Crew and Barenaked Ladies have very strong fan bases and a number of tickets have sold through them. It will be a great show to support great causes,” Hanson said.
