Bow-Up Against Breast Cancer 3-D Archery Tournament Raises $100,000 for Breast Cancer Research

I’m a firm believer God answers prayers, especially selfless ones. This past weekend, I had the honor of seeing one man's prayer answered while attending the 4th Annual Bow-Up Against Breast Cancer 3-D Archery Tournament held at the Cullman Archery Park in Alabama.

Cameron Mitchell, the heart and brains behind the event, was hoping and praying to raise $34,000 during the 4th annual event for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama.

“That amount would put us over the $100,000 total for four years,” Mitchell said. “After the dust settled and the smoke cleared, we did $34,637! More than 300 archers participated in the tournament. None of this would have been possible without the sacrifice and hard work of our volunteers and board members as well as the support of all who came out to shoot. We definitely Bowed Up Against Breast Cancer this year!”

Years ago I asked Mitchell why he decided to organize the charity shoot.

He replied, “I was praying one night, asking God how I can give back to my community. He laid it on my heart to do a bow shoot to raise money for breast cancer research. So I called Mark Proctor, state president of Bowhunters of Alabama, and Jennifer Galbreath, program director of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation of Alabama (BRFA), to see if we could pull off an event. They were both enthusiastic about the prospect. After they both agreed to take it on, I basically sat back and watched it come to life. I was just amazed how everything came together.”

Mitchell says even though no one in his family has been diagnosed with breast cancer, everyone is affected by the disease.

“I started talking to people and realized that everyone I know has had a grandmother, mother, sister, aunt, daughter, or friend who’s battled the disease," Mitchell said. "The more I learned about breast cancer, the more I wanted to get involved in the fight against it. As part of the archery and hunting community, I wanted to figure out a way that we could give back.”

Beth Bradner, executive director of the BRFA, said it thrilled her to see the community of archers come together for the cause of curing breast cancer.

“I’m having a wonderful time out here,” Bradner said. “I’m so happy so many archers view breast cancer research as a worthwhile cause to support. Our hope is that research will eventually lead to a cure for the disease.”

Check out www.bow-up.org for more information about the Bow-Up for Breast Cancer 3-D Archery Tournament.