BRAIDWOOD, ILL. -- Exelon Generation has selected Easter Seals Joliet Region as the benefitting charity for its 2016 “Fishing for a Cure” bass tournament. Easter Seals Joliet Region provides services to people in Will, Grundy, Kankakee, Kendall, Ford and Iroquois counties. People like the Stone Family.
Eight-year-old Matthew Stone is eager to ride a bike alongside his 12-year-old brother Steven or challenge him to a race to the back door. He holds hope that day is coming soon, and he's working to make it happen by raising money for Easter Seals.
"The more money Easter Seals gets, the better they can do their therapy on my brother because I want to ride a bike or run around with him,” Matthew said.
Matthew's brother, Steven, was born with periventricular leukomalacia, a type of brain damage that affects visual, motor and behavioral abilities. This disorder caused Steven to receive a diagnosis of cerebral palsy at 3 years of age. Since birth, Steven and his family have relied on services provided by the Easter Seals Joliet Region Bradley Center.
"Each year employees nominate local not-for-profit organizations to receive the proceeds from the tournament," Braidwood Station Site Vice President Marri Marchionda-Palmer explains. "It is always a difficult decision because there are many excellent organizations and the needs are great." The organization must have a tie to the local community as well to an employee at Braidwood Station. Steven and Matthew's father, Steve, is a maintenance electrician at Braidwood.
"I don't know what we would have done without Easter Seals," admits Steve Sr. "They have not left our side since we brought Steven home from the hospital at 8 weeks old. They provide far more than just therapy."
Now in its 15th year, “Fishing for a Cure” has donated $412,000 to local nonprofits. Exelon covers all costs of the tournament, including the $10,000 prize money, and all proceeds are donated to the charity. This year's tournament will take place Saturday, May 7 on Braidwood Lake. The entry fee is $150 per team and spots are still available. That same day, a children's fishing derby will be held at the Godley Park District pond from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. The entry fee is $5 per child.
To receive an entry form for the bass tournament or for more information on the bass tournament or the children’s fishing derby, log onto the Exelon site at: http://www.exeloncorp.com/newsroom/events/exelons-fishing-for-a-cure or contact Pegg Warnick, Braidwood Generating Station Communications Manager at
peggy.warnick@exeloncorp.com or call (815) 417-3184.
Braidwood Generating Station, located about 60 miles south of Chicago, generates nearly 2,400 megawatts of carbon-free electricity, enough to power more than 2 million homes. Approximately 90 percent of the carbon-free power in Illinois is produced by Exelon's six nuclear facilities. To learn more about the vital role nuclear plays in supplying electricity to Illinois and the tremendous benefits it provides families and communities, visit
www.nuclearpowersillinois.com.
