THE 5TH
ANNUAL MICCOSUKEE RESORT & GAMING "HOT RODS & REELS", CHARITY FISHING TOURNAMENT
A BIG SUCCESS
Tournament breaks record for fundraising for
The Darrell Gwynn
Foundation and Speediatrics
Miami, Fl
-- November 20, 2006 -- With the "Who's Who" of NASCAR racing in attendance, The
5th Annual Miccosukee Resort & Gaming "Hot Rods & Reels", Charity
Fishing Tournament was a huge success. The tournament, part of the first ever
Florida Spinal Cord Injury Awareness Week, raised more than $106,000 for the
Darrell Gwynn Foundation and Speediatrics, the racing-themed pediatric unit at
Homestead Hospital.
More than 35 people spent an
hour and a half fishing on the infield lake at the Homestead-Miami Speedway with
Tony Stewart, Kyle Petty, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex, Jr., Bobby Labonte and other
top figures in the world of racing. They not only spent time with some of the
greatest racers in the world, but had the opportunity to win a million dollars
as the fisherman with the largest catch won the chance to pick an envelope that
could have contained The Miccosukee Million.
"This was a wonderful day of
fun and excitement and coming together for very important causes," said Darrell
Gwynn, president of the Darrell Gwynn Foundation. "For the past five years,
we've seen the top racers and their fans, both corporate and individual
participants enjoying this one-of-a-kind event, but this year surpassed them
all. Every boat was filled, more dollars were raised, and every one had an
experience they will remember for a lifetime."
The boat with NASCAR Nextel Cup
driver Bill Elliott, guide Mark Shepard and guests George Grasshopper and Rick
Doctor came in tops in both individual catch (2.96 lbs, caught by Grasshopper)
and total weight of all the fish caught (4 lbs., 14 oz). Grasshopper then had a
chance to draw for the Miccosukee Million but came away without the winning
envelope.
"Hot Rods & Reels" has been
part of the Nextel Ford Championship weekend for the past five years, and will
be inaugurated by the Darrell Gwynn Foundation in Daytona this coming February
as part of Speed Weeks. The event raised more than twice as much as it did last
year.
"This event continues to grow
in popularity, and is an essential part of raising the awareness of spinal cord
injuries and prevention," added Gwynn.
Part of the morning's
activities included the donation of a new Quickie wheelchair from Sunrise
Medical courtesy of the Darrell Gwynn Foundation to 8-year old Damian Martinez
of West Palm Beach. Martinez suffers from cerebral palsy and this new wheelchair
will provide him with much greater mobility. "It is moments such as this, giving
Damian the new chair, that remind all of us how important the monies raised at
Hot Rods & Reels is."
The Darrell Gwynn Foundation is
a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organization dedicated to preventing paralysis when
possible, providing support for individual's living with paralysis and
ultimately finding a cure for paralysis. To expedite specific cures, the
Foundation assists in the funding of targeted research.
# # #
/Media Contact: Caren Berg or
Sue Siebert of Boardroom Communications, 954-370-8999,
cberg@boardroompr.com or
ssiebert@boardroompr.com.
