sporting clays tournament raises $120,000 to fight cystic fibrosis

SEVIERVILLE, Tenn. - Chilhowee Sportsmen's Club near Maryville hosted the 5th annual Vulcan Materials ‘Make A Break Thru for CF' benefit tournament on April 27-28, 2007.
The two-day event drew almost 400 shooters and raised $120,000 to fight cystic fibrosis (CF), which put it near, if not in, the top ten in the country for benefit tournaments. "We're here to help the kids," said Mike Redmond, a Tennessee state champion shooter. "I love the sport, and I shoot between 75,000 to 100,000 targets a year, but this is one of the best charity tournaments I'll go to this year."
"It amazes me how fast this tournament has grown," says Jim Deanda, the founder of Cure Finders, the nonprofit organization behind the event. Cystic fibrosis is a genetic lung and digestive disease affecting the lives of more than 35,000 adults and children in the US, reducing life expectancy. Breathing difficulties due to thick mucus buildup, insufficient enzyme production in the pancreas, and a weakened immune system are among the symptoms. Only a decade ago, life expectancy for CF sufferers was 18 years old. Today it's 37.
"Research is the key," says Deanda, who has two children, Callie and Cale, suffering with CF. "The past 10 years, we've seen breakthroughs in medicines and treatments. That's increasing lifespans and getting more and more people jazzed about a cure, which researchers believe is attainable. I think that's why we keep adding sponsors and shooters to this event every year. People find out what's going on and want to help." Founded in 2001 by Deanda and his wife, Barbara, Cure Finders is dedicated solely to discovering the cure and has to date raised a half a million dollars toward that goal through its annual charity events.
"This tournament has become a part of our lifestyle now," said Steve Seay, whose Sea Oil Company is a sponsor. "I bring my son, Tom, who's 8 this year. He shot the whole course, shot a 45."
The overall average for the tournament was 57.1. Mike Redmond bested All-American Jim Williams and two-time Kentucky state champion Mark Hall by one target. Top team honors went to the Kentucky Headhunters (Jim Williams, Richard Stoffle, Doug Kovacs, Mark Hall, Dwayne Marcum), who won with a score of 471.
Nearly eighty volunteers worked to make the event a well-run success. First-rate prime rib was served for lunch and provided by PGF Hale, with Food City supplying all the fixings, food, and drinks. Other sponsors included Vulcan Materials, Renfro Construction, Bridgestone Firestone, Stowers Machinery, Industrial Fabrication, Kelch Trucking, TEMA-Isenmann, and many others.
For more information about next year's tournament, or to find out more about Cure Finders' fight against cystic fibrosis, email jdeanda@curefinders.org or kmott@curefinders.org, or go to www.curefinders.org.