I’ve been horribly remiss.
Back in January, during the 2007 SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trades) Show, I had the priviledge of meeting Glen and Kathy Lubeznik at the Kids and Clays booth. I took a bit of their time for an interview, and as we chatted there in that pressroom, I was totally impressed…both by the people and their program.
Glen is a long time shooter, and is also a McDonalds owner/operator up in Indiana. Through his involvement with McDonalds, he soon got involved with Ronald McDonald House Children’s Charities as well.
Now, an aside… shortly after my daughter was born, the Ronald McDonald house was there for us when things got tricky and we suddenly found ourselves spending a lot of time at Duke University Hospital and needing a place to stay close by. Money was tight at the time, and without this place a difficult time would have been even tougher.
Anyway, the Ronald McDonald House has a place very dear in my heart, so when I saw that name connected with the shooting sports, I had to know what this was all about. Hence, my conversation with Glen and now we’re back on track…
During a meeting about fundraising for the charity, Glen got the idea of holding a sporting clays tournament. In 1999 he brought that plan together, and the event generated more than $15,000. That success spurred interest among major sponsors such as Browning, Winchester, and Charles Daly, and the following year brought in over $90k at the Indiana event, and spawned a second event in St. Louis. As of this year, there are now shoots across the country.
I tried to find my notepad and interview notes from that January visit, but I didn’t have much luck locating them. What I’ll do then, is try to get in touch with Glen and re-stage the interview, and get some current information to share.
In the meantime, check out their website at http://www.kidsandclays.com and see what they’re all about. While you’re there, give it some thought. Is this something you’d be interested in being a part of? The site offers many ways you can get involved… from a simple donation of money to volunteering to host or sponsor a shoot.
This sounds like a great program. Hunters and gun enthusiasts do a lot to support charities and good causes. It’s a pity the mainstream media doesn’t follow this aspect of hunting more.