Kids & Clays shooting sports events with the goal of benefiting families in need made their debut back in 1999, thanks in part to generous support from Winchester Ammunition. Over the past 25 years, these events have grown to be a major fundraiser for participating Ronald McDonald House Charities chapters across the country, with more than $36,000,000 to date raised by good people who enjoy shooting sports and a heart for helping children and their families.
In 1999, Glenn and Kathy Lubeznik, McDonald’s owner-operators in Northwest Indiana, chaired the first annual Sporting Clays Tournament Event benefitting the Chicago Ronald McDonald House. With the help of Winchester Ammunition, along with McDonald’s owner-operators and McDonald’s suppliers, the event hosted 137 participants, generating more than $15,000 for Ronald McDonald House.
The following year, companies and organizations such as Browning, the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the National Sporting Clays Association joined Winchester, agreeing to support the event as sponsors. In 2000, more than 220 participants shot in the Chicago Kids & Clays tournament, and the Chicago Ronald McDonald House was again the beneficiary, to the tune of more than $58,000.
The meteoric success of the Chicago area tournament inspired Mr. Lubeznik to share his knowledge of this fundraiser with Ronald McDonald Houses across the country. Due to the growth potential of this program, Mr. Lubeznik formed what is known today as the Kids & Clays Foundation with the goal of promoting shooting tournaments as a unique type of fundraising event for Ronald McDonald Houses located across the nation.
Each year, Winchester donates thousands of dollars of ammunition and merchandise to support nearly 50 Kids & Clays events. Local Ronald McDonald House charities keep 100 percent of the net proceeds from each event. What started as tens of thousands of dollars annually in fundraising has grown exponentially—last year, a record high of nearly $3.6 million was raised to help critically ill children across the country.
“Our long-standing commitment—25 years—as a major ammunition supporter to Kids & Clays is extremely important,” Brett Flaugher, the president of Winchester Ammunition said. “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.”
Learn more about the Kids & Clays Foundation and Winchester Ammunition.
