Rob Thomson of Waterfront Properties Partners with Mike Schmidt’s 2017 Winner’s Circle Charities to Raise $100,000

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1496765255JUPITER, FL - Mike Schmidt’s 2017 Winner’s Circle Charities events concluded on April 29th.  The kick-off event, “Casino Night” Reel Gala, took place April 1st at The Club at Admiral’s Cove. More than 200 guests from across Palm Beach County came out to support the charities involved. The 17th Annual Bahamas Invitational Fishing Tournament took place April 26th – 29th at Old Bahama Bay, West End, Grand Bahama Island with 22 boats and 22 teams. A total of 83 fish weighed in.

The events raised over $100,000 for this year’s Winner’s Circle Charities, the American Cancer Society, Marine Industry Education Foundation and Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation. Proceeds support melanoma research, prevention and early detection. “A large portion of this year’s proceeds are going directly to a new sun safety elementary school curriculum,” tournament founder Mike Schmidt commented. “When kids learn about the importance of wearing a bike helmet or washing their hands before eating, they’ll now also be learning practical ways to protect themselves from sun damage.”

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Joining Schmidt were host partners Steve Moynihan, owner of HMY Yachts and Rob Thomson, owner of Waterfront Properties. Rob Thomson commented, “This year’s tournament would not have been possible without the tremendous effort put forth by everyone at Old Bahama Bay. The venue was without power and needed countless repairs after being hit hard by Hurricane Matthew late last year. The employees and members of the community worked around the clock for months to get the venue ready to open. They did an incredible job.”

This year’s tournament winners, by category:

Largest Tuna:  109.3 lbs. - Caught by Bob Noble, "Stihl Leader"

Largest Dolphin: 49.5 lbs. - Caught by Frank Devlin, "Four Reel"

Largest Wahoo: 33.8 lbs. - Caught by Lou Cosentino, “Judith Ann”

Overall Winners'

1st Place Grand Champion with 168 lbs of fish: Gary Belcher, "Plum Crazy"

2nd Place with 146.9 lbs of fish: Bob Noble, "Stihl Leader"

3rd Place with 146.3 lbs of fish: John Wolf, “Sea Wolf”

About Winner’s Circle

In 2001, Major League Hall of Fame baseball player Mike Schmidt enlisted several fishing buddies to join him in creating a fundraising event to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. He was inspired by the tragic loss of close family friends Debbie and Harris Weinstein’s twenty-year-old son Brett to the disease. Since then Mike Schmidt’s Winner’s Circle Charities also include the American Cancer Society, Marine Industry Education Foundation and Richard David Kann Melanoma Foundation. The events have resulted in well over $2 million being distributed to worthy charities. For additional information on the Winner’s Circle Charities, visit winnerscirclecharities.org. Media inquiries, contact Kristen Lunceford at Bella Group, 561-308-4741 or kristen@bellagroupinc.com.