Exelon : Generation Teams Up with Local Anglers to Reel in Drug Abuse

BRAIDWOOD, ILL. -- Exelon Generation's 16th annual Braidwood 'Fishing for a Cure' charity bass fishing tournament is just a few weeks away and there is room for additional boats.

Entries to the event will be accepted until the 100-boat limit is reached. The charity bass fishing tournament will be held Saturday, June 3 from 6:30 am. to 3 p.m. on Braidwood Lake in rural Will County, Ill.

Teams of two anglers per boat will compete for a share of $10,000 in cash prizes. The tournament is open to anglers of all skill levels, with live broadcasting by ESPN's 'Chauncey's Great Outdoors.' The tournament will start from Braidwood Lake's Kankakee Road (south) ramp. The entry fee is $150 per team.

This year all proceeds will benefit the Braidwood Area Healthy Community Coalition (BAHCC). The coalition is focused on addressing the alarming rise of drug addiction and drug-related overdoses in the area. The local community experienced a record number of heroin-related deaths in 2016, up more than 40 percent over the previous year. BAHCC, a grassroots, volunteer-driven organization, will use the resources raised through the tournament to provide education, intervention, prevention and support services.

A children's fishing derby will be held at the Godley Park District pond the same day, Saturday, June 3, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. The entry fee is $5 per child.

Since its inaugural tournament in 2002, Fishing for a Cure has raised $455,000 for charity. Braidwood Generating Station, located about 60 miles south of Chicago, generates nearly 2,400 megawatts of carbon-free electricity, enough to power more than two million homes.