| Winchester Celebrates 20th Year as Ammunition Provider to Kids & Clays Foundation |
| EAST ALTON, Ill. (May 5, 2020) — Twenty million dollars raised to date by good people who enjoy the shooting sports and have a heart for children and their families—it is a news story that hasn’t been trumpeted loud enough. But that describes how the first Kids & Clays® shooting sports event to benefit families in need launched in 1999 with the support of Winchester® Ammunition and has grown to be a major fundraiser for Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) across the country. |
| “Our long-standing commitment—20 years—as the major ammunition supporter to Kids & Clays is extremely important,” said Matt Campbell, vice president of sales and marketing for Winchester Ammunition. “We are proud that our brand of more than 150 years is associated with organizations like Kids & Clays and that we can help further their mission.” |
| In 1999, Glenn and Kathy Lubeznik, McDonald’s owner/operators in northwest Indiana, chaired the first annual Sporting Clays Tournament benefitting the Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Chicagoland. With the support of Winchester Ammunition, McDonald’s owners/operators and McDonald’s suppliers, the event hosted 137 participants and generated more than $15,000 for RMHC. |
| The next year, companies and organizations such as Browning, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), and the National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA) followed Winchester’s lead and agreed to support the event as sponsors. More than 220 participants shot in the Chicago tournament, and the Chicago Ronald McDonald House was again the beneficiary, to the tune of over $58,000. |
| The rapid success of the Chicago area tournament inspired Mr. Lubeznik to share his knowledge of this fundraiser with Ronald McDonald Houses across the country. Because of the potential for growth of this program, Mr. Lubeznik formed what is known today as the Kids & Clays Foundation. The Foundation’s goal was to promote shooting tournaments as a unique type of fundraising event for Ronald McDonald Houses across the nation. |
| Each year, Winchester donates over 1,000 cases of its famous shotshell target ammunition and merchandise to support over 25 Kids & Clays events. The local Ronald McDonald House Charities keep 100% of the net proceeds from each event. What started as tens of thousands of dollars annually in fundraising has grown exponentially with 2019 setting a record high of nearly $1.9 million raised, all to help critically ill children from coast to coast. |
| About Kids & Clays Kids & Clays is an organization that assists Ronald McDonald Houses in coordinating their own shooting sports fundraisers. Kids & Clays solicits contributions of cash and merchandise from generous National Sponsors and Donors that are given to the local houses to help with their fundraising events. Additionally, Kids & Clays provides an event manual that includes instructions for hosting an event and offers on-site support. www.kidsandclays.com |
| About Ronald McDonald House Charities Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is a global organization focused on keeping families together and near the care they need. The RMHC mission is to create, find and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children and their families. They do this through Ronald McDonald Houses where families can stay while their child undergoes treatment, family rooms within hospitals for families to rest and regroup, Ronald McDonald Care Mobiles that provide mobile health services to needy communities, and through grants to extend the reach and impact of RMHC. www.rmhc.org |
| About WinchesterA world leader in delivering innovative products, Winchester is The American Legend, a brand built on integrity, hard work and a deep focus on its loyal customers. Learn more about the history of Winchester by visitingWinchester.com or connect with us on Facebook at Facebook.com/WinchesterOfficial. Gun owners care. You care about safety. You care about preventing unauthorized access to firearms. You care about bettering your community, and helping those in need, and conserving wildlife and wild places for generations to come. It’s time for gun owners to tell their stories, to show how they’re making a difference. NSSF®, the trade association for the firearms industry, has established the Gun Owners CareSM campaign to unite gun owners and the firearms industry in this common cause. Visit gunownerscare.org for more information. |
