Scotia’s Guan Ho Ha Club has a big target: breast cancer.
Members took their first shot at the disease when they made a donation of $6,000 to Ellis Hospital on Wednesday, July 18. Donna Evans, manager of public and community relations for the hospital, said she was pleasantly surprised when the fish and game club donated $6,000 to aid in the early detection of breast cancer.
The money was raised during a two-day event held in March.
Mark McCumber, president of the fish and game club, said the two-day shoot to save lives included a trap shoot, silent auction and dinner.
Dr. Jack Ruthberg, a member of the club, decided to arrange the fundraiser after his wife lost her battle with breast cancer. The proceeds from the event are the first contributions to the Helen Ruthberg Memorial Fund for early detection of breast care awareness and education.
`When Dr. Jack Ruthberg presented us with the idea, we immediately decided to jump on board with it. He is one of our own and we wanted to show him our support,` said McCumber.
Dr. Harry DePan, chief of cardiothoracic surgery at Ellis, the Guan Ho Ha Club board of directors and other members of the club helped coordinate the event.
McCumber said he hopes to make it an annual event because he feels the constituency of outdoorsmen can be a committed and viable source of support for a good cause. He said they do not usually hold any type of fundraising events, but in light of their recent success, are considering working with other fish and game clubs to improve their success.
`Many of the guys really appreciated the opportunity to participate in something that gave back, and it was successful beyond what we ever could have anticipated,` said McCumber.
McCumber said 80 people attended the dinner, some who knew Ruthberg and some who wanted to show support because they know someone with breast cancer.
Evans said the hospital was touched by the unexpected donation.
`Hunters and fisherman raising money for breast cancer, they were such an unexpected source of inspiration for those battling this cancer,` said Evans.
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