By Brenda Valentine
First Lady of Hunting®
March 22, 2010

The Aiming for a Cure Foundation was formed by the family and friends of the late Ben Ries, whose life was snatched away by childhood cancer. The mission of AFAC is to raise funds to benefit children and families served by the University of Iowa Children's Hospital. Their goal is to improve the quality of care and the quality of lives of these children through funding of research and support of patient care. Ben loved the outdoors, hunting and hunting dogs. It was  a special honor for me to have the opportunity to attend the 7th annual AFAC Hunt and Banquet March 20-21, 2010.  To learn more or to become a part of this worthwhile cause visit www.aimingforacure.com

Highland Hideaway Hunting  Lodge and Shooting Preserve, located 15 miles south of Iowa City, Iowa,  furnishes the hunting and shooting facilities for this enormous endeavor.  www.highlandhunting.com

Teams are made up of sponsors, supporters, and celebrities. The main mission is to be safe and have a good time. The team I was on certainly did that.  

The weatherman obviously didn't check the calendar. A fresh snow covered the ground on the first day of spring.

Cold temps and high winds had lots of birds hanging tight in the cover of ditch banks and thickets.

Weather was not a deterrent for the well-trained, hardworking dogs.

After a fun day in the outdoors everyone enjoyed a delicious banquet and lively auction to raise money for the kids and families under the care of the Iowa University Children's Hospital.

My friend and RedHead Protean partner, Allen Treadwell, donated one of his handmade wingbone turkey calls. It sold at auction for a whopping $800.

Day 2 started with anxious anticipation and thanks for sunny skies.

There are a few special days when a person has the opportunity to share the outdoors with fun folks, the dogs work with grace and beauty, the birds hold and rise slow, and the gun shoots straight. This was one of those very special days. 

A morning of hunting and a hearty lunch usually sets the stage for a midday nap.

This young hunter and old dog found comfort in each others company. This event was an honor to kids, dogs, and sportsmen and women who've come together to help those less fortunate.

Read all of Brenda's Field Notes