Braidwood Station's Joe Shields and his family were travelling a rough road last year, after their 2-year-old granddaughter Ava was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. And while countless doctor's appointments, multiple surgeries and lengthy hospital stays have disrupted their lives since, Ronald McDonald House Charities has helped keep the family together.
In honor of Shields and his family, Braidwood Station employees selected RMHC to receive proceeds from this year's 'Fishing for a Cure' bass tournament, which will take place on Saturday, May 12. Each year, the non-profit organization helps millions of families with lodging and other travel expenses as their children receive medical treatment away from home.
"Every year our employees select a worthy charity to receive the tournament's proceeds and this year is special because of Joe and Ava's connection to the Ronald McDonald House," said Braidwood Station Site Vice President Marri Marchionda-Palmer. "We are proud of our employees and the work they do every day to support the community, and we encourage everyone to come out and enjoy the tournament."
"The 17th Annual 'Fishing for a Cure' event has a lot of meaning, not just for me and my family, but for several of my coworkers with sick children and grandchildren," said Shields, a Radiation Protection technician at Braidwood Station. "I do not know what my family would have done if those Ronald McDonald Houses had not been available for us."
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'Fishing for a Cure' has donated more than $500,000 to local non-profits in its 17-year history. Exelon Generation covers all costs of the tournament, including $10,000 in prize money for competing fishermen. This year's tournament, which takes place on Braidwood Lake, will again be emceed by ESPN radio's Chauncey Niziol, host of "Chauncey's Great Outdoors." Chauncey will broadcast live at the event and present awards to children and adults competing in the tournament.
Interested participants can find fishing tournament rules and the official entry form at http://www.exeloncorp.com/newsroom/events/exelons-fishing-for-a-cure. Anglers can also contact Braidwood Communications Manager Brett Nauman at brett.nauman@exeloncorp.com or 815-417-3184. A children's fishing derby will be held at the Godley Park District pond the same day from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. The entry is $5 per child.
Braidwood Station is located 20 miles southwest of Joliet and has been producing carbon-free electricity for more than two million residents and businesses since 1988. Nearly half of Illinois' electricity and more than 90 percent of Illinois' carbon-free power is supplied by Exelon Generation's nuclear power stations.
