Sporting Clays Charity Shoot

"THANKS!" It was a simple sentiment but it was the message that 9-year-old Dakota Whitlatch shouted to those present at the 6th Annual Charity Shoot on Sunday, September 18, 2011. The exclamation was met with laughter and reminded each of us in the audience that it is kids like Dakota that we come out to support. Dakota and his family have spent numerous nights at the Ronald McDonald House of Iowa City since 2002 while Dakota was being treated for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.

Although it was a rainy and windy day, it did not deter the 140 participants and 55 volunteers from having fun out at Highland Hunting Hideaway in Riverside, Iowa. The shooters were greeted with breakfast omelets and familiar faces from past years. Ronald McDonald even made an appearance to help get the event started. The 18 station course was staffed by our hardworking and tireless volunteers - many of them veterans that keep coming back year after year. A special thank you to the Iowa Spirit Squad for all of your help!

This was my fifth year as the co-chair of the Ronald McDonald House Charity Shoot and once again I was blown away by the amount of kindness, generosity and laughter that I encountered during the day. I would like to express my personal gratitude to the committee, sponsors, participants, volunteers and staff at Highland that made this day possible. In its sixth year, the Charity Shoot will have raised over $100,000 for the Ronald McDonald House. It is a blessing to have such a great event to support such a great cause.

- Katie Tunning, Charity Shoot Co-Chair