When Indiana McDonald’s restaurant owners Glenn and Kathy Lubeznik decided to chair a sporting clays tournament in 1999 to raise money for the Chicago Ronald McDonald House, little did they realize at the time how big the fundraising movement would become. They hosted 137 participants and raised $16,000. People had a lot of fun, too.

That one event became the impetus for the creation of the Kids & Clays organization, which this year will host more than 20 fundraising clays tournaments. Since 1999, it has raised more than $14 million for Ronald McDonald House Charities. And since that very first event, Winchester Ammunition has been right there with them.

“Winchester plays a large part every night when thousands of families benefit from the Kids & Clays program by receiving housing, food and other benefits from the houses,” says Doug Jeanneret, executive director of Kids & Clays. Ronald McDonald Houses assist in provide housing, meals and a positive environment for families traveling away from home to tend to a sick child in the hospital or receiving treatment for serious illnesses.

Winchester provides ammunition at the sporting clays fundraising events as one of the primary sponsors of Kids & Clays. “As one of the founding supporters of what is now Kids & Clays, Winchester made it possible for the program to get off the ground. These donations save the organization thousands of dollars at each event,” Jeanneret explained, “valuable funds that can be put back into supporting Ronald McDonald Houses across the country.”

In celebration of Winchester’s 150th anniversary this year, a special donation of one of only ten Winchester 1866 Yellow Boy firearms is being auctioned on GunBroker.com, with all proceeds going to Kids & Clays. For more information on the auction and upcoming events, visit www.kidsandclays.com.

“There may be no greater cause than helping families faced with the challenge of caring for a sick child, and Winchester is proud of our long-standing relationship with Kids & Clays in supporting Ronald McDonald House Charities and the incredible services they provide,” said Brett Flaugher, vice president of marketing, sales and strategy at Winchester Ammunition.