![post image](https://www.towercaresfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-10SunriseSolutions-Ken-Gent-and-Charissa_Emme-Thomas.jpg )
Sunrise Solutions Clay Shoot Raises over $7,000 for the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center in Baltimore
Trap & skeet tournament puts a new spin on fundraising.
[Laurel, MD] — When Annapolis-based commercial telecom-services provider Sunrise Solutions wanted to hold a fundraiser to support local children in need, they decided against the run of the mill golf tournament. Instead, they did something a little out of the ordinary: a day of trap and skeet shooting.
“It’s like golf with a shotgun,” says Ken Gent, Vice President of Sunrise Solutions. “We wanted to do something a little different than just the usual golf tournament. This event provided an opportunity to participate in the sport of clay shooting and support a great cause at the same time.”
The Inaugural Sunrise Solutions Sporting Clays Invitational was held on October 3 at Prince George’s Trap & Skeet in Glenn Dale, Md. The tournament raised $7,300 for the TowerCares Foundation to benefit Johns Hopkins Children’s Center (JHCC), Baltimore’s local Children’s Miracle Network hospital.
Forty participants enjoyed breakfast and lunch with 25 rounds each at the trap and skeet stations.
“For a first year event, we were extremely pleased with the turnout and the generosity of those who attended,” Gent said. Most important, he added, is that 100 percent of all the event proceeds from sponsorships and donations, along with a portion of each participant’s fee, went to helping provide critical resources for children receiving care at JHCC and their families.
Gent says Sunrise Solutions hosted the tournament with assistance from the TowerCares Foundation and JHCC. Special guests at the tournament included three-year-old Emme Thomas and her mother Charissa.
Emme and her twin sister Elle were born at JHCC 25 weeks premature. Both girls were born with brain bleeds, and while Elle’s injury healed on its own, Emme developed hydrocephalus, resulting in several brain surgeries and other serious health issues. Both girls have made remarkable progress and are patient ambassadors for JHCC.
“A major part of the TowerCares mission is to help children in need,” said Rick Stafford, TowerCares Foundation President. “We were happy to partner with Sunrise Solutions on this unique event, and proud of the Foundation’s ongoing commitment to support JHCC and the critical work they do to help children like Emme who are struggling with serious illnesses and injuries.”