Georgia Anglers Strive to “Catch a Cure” for CF in Fishing Tournament

November 12, 2010

With the help of Captain Scott Wagner (left) and his dad, Cal Collier (right), CF Ambassador William Collier, 9, took home two prizes for his impressive catch at the Rich Products Corp. Golden Isles Red*Trout Celebrity Classic this October.

Last month, nearly 100 fishing aficionados traversed the shallow waters off the coast of St. Simons, Ga., to raise money in support of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in a two-day catch-and-release trout and redfish fishing tournament.

As part of the Redbone Celebrity Tournament Series, teams of anglers, celebrities and local professional fishing captains set sail from St. Simons Island to “catch a cure” for CF in the ninth annual Rich Products Corp. Golden Isles Red*Trout Celebrity Classic. This year, Stiles Kellett repeated as Grand Champion Angler and participants caught a record number of fish—1,462 in total—and raised $82,000 to benefit the CF Foundation.

“Partnership with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation is critical to ensuring that the momentum in research continues,” said Jack Kilgore, president of the Consumer Brands Division of Rich Products Corp., the event’s title sponsor for nine consecutive years. “Working together, we can add tomorrows every day to the lives of all people with CF.”

Early in the morning, the fishing boats set sail from St. Simons Island, Ga., in the two-day catch-and-release trout and redfish fishing tournament.

A Young Winner with a Selfless Spirit

The event’s CF Ambassador, 9-year-old William Collier, competed against all of the adult anglers to bring home two awards for his impressive catch. Captain Billy Bice remembers a touching moment after the awards reception when William showed that his heart is as big as the day’s catch: “I walked over to William and joked, ‘I will never win anything—I want an award!’” Billy said.

“William looked at the awards he was holding and offered one of them to me. I was joking, but it really touched my heart for that little boy to be willing to share what he had won.”

To show his appreciation, framed drawings of redfish by William were presented to the event’s top sponsors.

The Georgia Chapter would like to thank the event’s Title sponsor:
Rich Products Corp.
Its Awards Dinner sponsors:
Cargill Meat Solutions Coca-Cola Enterprises	Morningstar Marinas
Its Gold sponsors:
JBT Corp. Kerry Group Leprino Foods	RLS Logistics Saputo Cheese USA
Its Silver sponsors:
Clofine Dairy & Food Products, Inc. Dairy Farmers of America	Gurrentz International Corp. Hood Packaging Corp.
Its additional corporate boat sponsors:
Brunner Eagle Brokerage Associates Jason’s Foods	Kraft Ingredients Rex Corp. Taurus Food Products
And the event co-chairs:
Cal Collier Polly Dean Patrick Dunn	Stiles Kellett Brand Morgan Todd Smith