Mississippi Wildlife Magazine
Winter 2001
It’s an exciting time for the Catch-A-Dream program. After being featured on Mossy Oak and TNN’s “Hunting The Country” television show in late August, and appearing in a cameo sidebar in the November issue of Outdoor Life magazine, folks across the nation have taken note! Calls and e-mails have been frequent, both from potential wish children and from sponsors and donors.
Our list of Supporting Partners, corporate and private entities that have contributed either cash or in-kind goods and services, continues to grow almost daily. We are pleased with the response from outfitters, corporate and private landowners, and from numerous manufacturers who have joined us to make outdoor wishes come true for our target children. For updated listings of these friends, check the “partners” page on the Catch-A-Dream web-site (www.catchadream.org).
Our first and most prominent corporate partner, Mossy Oak, recently stepped up their level of commitment to Catch-A-Dream by signing an agreement with Scrutchfield Companies, Inc. from Nashville, TN, to co-sponsor a major Celebrity-Am Golf Tournament next year, with the proceeds to benefit our program! Scrutchfield Companies, Inc. is a large sports and entertainment marketing firm that specializes in Celebrity benefit events. This event will be held at Old Waverly Golf Course, in West Point, MS on May 6-7, 2001. The Celebrity host will be country music star and avid outdoorsman, Tracy Byrd. A field of 28 other celebrities from music, sports and entertainment arenas will join Tracy, the Catch-A-Dream Team, and other supporters on the golf course for a two day competition, finishing with a star-studded concert on Tuesday evening. To learn how you can pair up with a celebrity golf partner, or for sponsorship details, contact Michael Wardlaw at Scrutchfield Companies, Inc., 615-383-9735.
As of press time, we are making plans to grant three applications for outdoor dreams from children with life-threatening illnesses. These include a 12 year old from Illinois with cystic fibrosis, a 14 year old from New York with Crohn’s disease, and a 15 year old from Virginia with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Our policy is to not identity’s of the children nor their dream destination and plans until after the experience, but we can share that two of the three dreams will be granted within in the next 3 months, and we will have full reports in the Spring issue of Mississippi Wildlife.
We recently received a substantial gift “in memory of Mr. Walt Mitchell, of Vicksburg, that included a note that nicely summarizes the spirit of Catch-A-Dream. One of Mr. Mitchell’s long-time friends wrote: “This memorial is for a great friend and a truly great outdoorsman whom I loved and miss, but I do know he is with The Lord. Walt would fly fish in Wyoming, deer hunt in south Texas and bow hunt and turkey hunt in Ebenezer, MS. He passed away September 16th at his home after a battle with cancer. I hope you will use the memorial to help some child enjoy the great outdoors that our great God created and they might feel and see the beauty of His outdoors. There is a great peace within when you are alone with God in His creation”
Well said. As my friend Bruce Brady, Jr. would put it….”Wow!….now let me say that backwards for emphasis…..Wow!”
