Broad Street Clinic
Diabetes is recognized as a steadily growing health problem affecting more people now than ever before. Long term treatment for chronic diseases such as diabetes is expensive and the medical supplies for testing blood sugar on a daily basis present an additional hardship for the uninsured low-income residents of our County and the surrounding area. Through grants and donations The Broad St. Free Clinic is able to provide free medications for many diabetics, however, affording the testing supplies adds an additional financial burden for those in need. As one of the charitable recipients of The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, we are grateful for the support this year that will enable us to provide many of our diabetic patients with the medical supplies they need to continue testing for themselves at home.

For the past eleven years the Broad St. Free Clinic, a non-profit organization, has been providing the medical and pharmacy needs of the uninsured, low-income residents of our community. We are a health care clinic and licensed pharmacy specializing in the treatment of chronic diseases such as: diabetes, hypertension, heart and lung disease. Throughout the years, The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament has been a faithful supporter of the Clinic providing for various programs, equipment and medical supplies. Thanks again, Big Rock Tournament.

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Carteret County Chapter NC Symphony
Carteret County is one of the 16 community-based volunteer chapters of the North Carolina Symphony. These “satellite” offices of the Symphony support the orchestra’s mission of bringing live, orchestral music to the citizens of North Carolina.

It is only through the continued support of concert sponsors, patrons and private contributions that the Carteret County Chapter is able to defray the Symphony’s expenses and make it possible for the orchestra to return each year. The Big Rock’s generous contribution will help ensure that the music continues to play in Carteret County.

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East Carolina Boy Scouts
The Pamlico Sea Base program first began in 1997 as an experiment with local Scout units and has evolved into a separate camping facility with emphasis on blue water sea kayaking and sailing adventures. Adjoining Bonner Boy Scout Resident Camp, the Sea Base affords the scout leader the opportunity to have a traditional summer program for the younger less experienced Scouts while challenging their older Scouts with exciting high adventure opportunities.

The Pamlico Sea Base program is centered around sea kayaking on the North Carolina Outer Banks and a sailing school on the historic Pamlico River and Sound. All sailboats, sea kayaks, and trekking equipment are provided by the Sea Base staff. The Sea Base will also arrange scuba training/certification through accredited local instructors for interested campers.

With the continued growth of the program, additional equipment is required to meet the demand including additional kayaks and kayak trailers. Our goal is to provide a safe and educational environment for all sea base participants.

Big Rock has helped fund many other needs for the East Carolina Council and once again will help us reach new goals for this effective summer camp.

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The History Place
The History Place is located in the heart of downtown Morehead City, and houses the Carteret County Museum, the Jack Spencer Goodwin Research Library, Museum Store, the Les A. Ewen Auditorium/Learning Center, a classroom, offices and a tea room. The museum artifacts date to the early 1800’s and programs and special events are held regularly throughout the year. Admission is free. Its mission is to preserve the history of Carteret County.

This years Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament contribution will help bring history to life by purchasing mannequins for exhibits, publishing new history and genealogy books, enhancing additional programs for the community, and purchasing archival equipment for our research library. The continued support of the Big Rock Foundation makes such a difference in what our organization can accomplish.
The History Place is located at the corner of 11th Street in downtown Morehead City and is open Tuesday-Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. (252) 247-7533 historyplace@starfishnet.com www.thehistoryplace.org

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Hope Mission
Hope Mission Christian Ministries entered the 21st Century with a new vision for itself in that the work and boards of directors of the old Hope Mission Soup Kitchen and the former Carteret Christian Ministry were merged into one organization with the support of its contributing churches, many individuals, and the general public. Since the organizational transition was made, new Co-directors have been put into place, a stronger board of directors has emerged, and the focus of this endeavor has begun to lunge forward.

At present, Hope Mission Christian Ministries has two primary ministries as well as several smaller missions. The operation of the daily (six days a week) Soup Kitchen continues unabated with an average of 107 persons served a hot meal per day in 2005. With a paid kitchen manager and a host of volunteers from the churches and community, the noon meal is indeed a pleasant place to be and to receive a meal. While many of our clients are not starving, they are in a financial place where anything to help them limit their expenditures is beneficial. However, there are many who just do not have enough money for daily food. Each day begins with prayer and the atmosphere of the kitchen is supportive of spiritual as well as physical needs.

The other primary ministry is the Outreach Ministry. Open two afternoons per week and with a budget of $1,200 per week, trained volunteer Caregivers and Receptionists meet with clients on a first-come, first-served basis. Clients come seeking assistance with bills primarily, though there is often the need for housing, transportation, and food. Each client is carefully interviewed and the financial needs are verified as much as possible. If found eligible and within the limits placed on how much can be utilized by the Caregivers, agreements are reached with landlords, electric companies, water departments, pharmacies, and other such groups and arrangements are made for paying all or a portion of the bill in order to keep the electricity or other utility in service or the clients in their homes. Clients may not receive assistance from the Outreach Ministry more than once in twelve months and may not be served over a total of three times over the years. The clients that we serve are overwhelmingly disabled or the working poor. Those who are working are most often single women with children who are trying to make ends meet with minimum wage jobs. Many are referred to us by the Department of Social Services or the Domestic Violence center. During 2005, between the emergency financial assistance and food parcels handed out well over 600 families were served with an average of $154.00 per family. Caregivers do everything in their power to guide clients to proper agencies where further assistance for particular needs can be given.

On Wednesday nights, a meal is served and worship is held for a new mission of Hope Mission Christian Ministries. Numerous clients from the Soup Kitchen come to this service. In addition, each Saturday one of several churches in the area is responsible for preparing, serving, and clean-up for the daily meal. Plans are being made at this time for the consideration of providing temporary housing during the cold months in the kitchen itself.

The reality is that there are many people who are having a very difficult time, either temporarily or chronically, in our county. The two ministries we provide often mean the difference between painful suffering and continuing to make it under difficult circumstances. Ethnically and racially, our clients represent the same ethnic and racial make-up of the county. The largest proportion of those helped is female. Consequently, many children are being helped as well.

Over 50 churches in Carteret County support this ministry with volunteers and finances. In addition, well over 200 individual families and more than 50 civic / businesses also make financial contributions. Our volunteers come from churches, the community, and some by working off their community service requirements through the court system. Several civic groups also support this work. We are in the process of seeking reliable support from several grant-giving organizations including Big Rock. It is our joy that Big Rock has agreed to give support in 2006. Monies from Big Rock will insure that the work of these two ministries will continue. Our needs have been so much greater than our income and it is most welcomed for us to be a Big Rock recipient.

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Martha’s Mission
Thanks to the generous donation from the Big Rock Tournament we were able to assist 3,329 families living in Carteret County. These families were given bags of food and essential health items such as soap and toilet tissue.

One of our achievements last year was to provide our clients with a special cash voucher allowing them to receive a turkey or ham at a local supermarket during the Thanksgiving and Christmas season. This again was an accomplishment we cold not have done without the help of the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament.

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Newport Developmental Center, Inc.
The Newport Developmental Center continues to service children with disabilities since 1969. With the thousands of dollars the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament has donated to our Center, we have met many of the needs of our children. Our families are most appreciative of the special care their children receive in our program. On behalf of our Board of Directors we greatly appreciate all the support the Big Rock board has given to our Center.

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N.C. Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores
The new North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores welcomes The Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. The Big Rock shares the Aquarium’s goals of marine education and conservation, and has generously supported the recent major expansion, as well as exhibits and programs over the years.
This year, Big Rock anglers and their families can see the new Aquarium, with the new Big Rock Theater. The Aquarium reopened in May 2006 after a $25 million renovation that spanned two and a half years.

The tournament sponsored the 150-seat Big Rock Theater, at the heart of the Aquarium’s education programs. The design adapts to a wide variety of presentations, and the audio-visual equipment is state-of-the-art. A wrap-around marquee at the entrance prominently displays the name. The Aquarium is grateful to The Big Rock for this important facility.

There is plenty more to see in the 93,000-square-foot Aquarium. Under the new theme, “From North Carolina’s Mountains to the Sea,” nearly 40 exhibits in five galleries – Mountain, Piedmont, Coastal Plain, Tidal Waters and Ocean -- depict the state’s aquatic zones.

The centerpiece exhibit – the 306,000-gallon Living Shipwreck -- takes visitors into the domain of ocean divers. It features a replica of the U-352, a German submarine the Coast Guard sank off our coast in World War II, and the sharks, colorful fishes and other animals that typically congregate around shipwrecks. Divers talk to visitors via underwater microphones, and three observation windows – one of them 63 feet long – offer superb views.
The 50,000-gallon Queen Anne’s Revenge display presents a living snapshot of an 18th-century shipwreck near Beaufort Inlet -- thought to be the pirate Blackbeard’s flagship -- and its diverse marine community.

In the River Otters exhibit, two of the fun-loving creatures play in a riverbank setting. Other new favorites include a sportfishing exhibit, a 32-foot mountain waterfall, a stingray touch pool and a jellyfish gallery. The Education staff also offers an array of special activities and summer camps.

The Aquarium is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for ages 62 and over, and $6 for children 6-17. Children 5 and under and members of the North Carolina Aquarium Society are admitted free. An annual $50 family membership allows unlimited free admission for two adults and children and grandchildren under 18 at all three North Carolina Aquariums and the North Carolina Zoo. It also carries free admission privileges for two adults and two children at 150 other zoos and aquariums.
Big Rock families can join the Society at the Aquarium and start using their memberships right away. For more information, call 252-247-4003 or visit www.ncaquariums.com.

The Aquarium sincerely thanks The Big Rock for its longtime support.

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NC University Center for Marine Science and Technology (CMAST)
Researchers from North Carolina State University’s Center for Marine Sciences and Technology (CMAST) will collect biological samples from all species landed at the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament. Current biological information for tuna, dolphin, wahoo and marlin is limited.

Accurate age data along with length and age at maturity are required by fisheries scientists to examine the potential effects of fishery removals from the population. Fisheries managers use this information to develop policies to ensure a sustainable fishery.

Two of the methods used to determine the age of fish are counting growth “rings” on scales, and/or ringlike structures found on otoliths. Otoliths (earstones) are small, white structures found in the head of bony fishes that aid in balance and hearing. Scale and otolith rings correspond to seasonal changes, similar to the rings of a tree, and can be used to determine a fish’s age.

In addition to scales and otoliths, stomach and gonad samples will be collected from each fish. The fish captured during the Big Rock Tournament are top predators in the surface waters of the ocean. They have extremely high feeding rates and may have a disproportionately larger effect on their prey populations when compared to other predators. To determine their principal prey, stomach contents will be identified.

Measurement of egg diameters, along with counts of maturing eggs and gross observation of reproductive parts will provide insight into the spawning season of these fish, along with determining size at first maturity.
CMAST researchers will also take biological samples for other scientists that request samples; this will ensure that the maximum amount of information is obtained from each fish that is brought to the dock. By supporting our research, Big Rock will also be supporting the work of many other researchers and contributing to a greater understanding of marine fish populations.

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Station Club
Carobell Inc. is a private non-profit organization licensed by the North Carolina Department of Human Resources to provide services for children and adults who are mentally and physically challenged. Since 1969, our consumers have received quality and responsive professional services such as: day program/vocational training, residential, educational, medical, nursing, advocacy, psychological, aquatics, physical, speech and occupational therapy.

Carobell’s Station Club Enterprises (SCE) is a community based vocational training center, which provides vocational services to persons of Carteret and Onslow Counties, who have developmental challenges. Individuals receiving vocational supports through the Station Club (SCE) are challenged to develop their physical, mental and social capabilities in order to achieve their ultimate goals of competitive employment.
Training received from our woodworking, horticulture, office support, and entrepreneurship programs have resulted in contractual sales for outdoor furniture, plants, greeting cards, bulk mailing, gourmet dog treats and dog and cat beds just to name a few. Opportunities such as these have provided SCE consumers with the chance to participate in paid and unpaid vocational training to enhance their knowledge and understanding of community employment expectations and self-worth.
As a charity recipient of the 48th Annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, SCE will designate the acknowledged funds to its new program of manufacturing dog pillows by purchasing new sewing machines and fabric; seedling for the greenhouse and the upgrading of equipment and tools for the woodworking department which provides income and vocational training for our consumers.
Thank you for your generous support of Carobell, Inc./Station Club Enterprises. Our history is rich due in part to the many years of community support from organizations such as yours who continue to invest in the lives of the citizens we serve.

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Take A Kid Fishing Foundation, Inc.
The Take A Kid Fishing Foundation, Inc. was established in 1988, with the help of it’s founder Bob Hodges. Over the past 17 years this North Carolina-based nonprofit organization has grown from 35 participants to cumulatively over 7200 with an annual cost of $55,000.00. Contributors and volunteers alike have given of their time, talents and resources to help the Take A Kid Fishing Foundation, Inc. provide disabled and disadvantaged youth from all across the Carolinas with an opportunity to go saltwater fishing while teaching them about conservation and our ocean environment. Children come from orphanages, children’s homes and state and local agencies to spend the day sharing with others what their family and friends once shared with them. This time together enriches their lives and creates memories that will last a lifetime.
As we begin preparation for another year we would like to take this opportunity to thank the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament for your continued support and belief that “Every child deserves a chance.”

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UNC Family House
The vision for Family House at UNC Hospitals was kindled in 2001 by a small group of volunteers who recognized the need for extending hospitality and support to families of the seriously ill-families who were coping with the distress of illness, the financial burden of medical care and the pain of being away from home. The leading light was Dr. Mark Johnson, the director of UNC Hospital’s Liver Transplant Program, who witnessed the need for such a facility day in and day out.

Proceeds from the February 25, 2006, concert by the critically acclaimed Hawaiian troupe, HAPA, will help bring Family House at UNC Hospitals more than $60,000 closer to its 6.1 million dollar capital campaign goal. Already more than 4.2 million dollars has been raised to build the 40-bedroom home, located next to the Ronald McDonald House in Chapel Hill. Ground is expected to be broken later this year, and Family House hopes to open its doors to patients and their families in Spring 2007.

Thanks in large part to the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament, major event sponsor, An Evening in Hawai’i – Celebrating the Life of Bert Brooks, Jr. raised more than $95,000 in its first year. This amount far surpassed the $50,000 goal set by Gina Brooks, widow of Bert Brooks, Jr., and because of the event’s huge success, a bedroom suite will be named at Family House as a permanent tribute to him.

Sharing proceeds with Family House is the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). On February 24, 2006, the first bone marrow drive in Carteret County was conducted at the Carteret County Health Department in conjunction with NMDP. The drive was a great success with 89 potential donors becoming part of the National Registry at no cost to them.

Mrs. Brooks says she has been overwhelmed by the tremendous outpouring of support in her community, and “I am honored by the recognition of having Big Rock as our major sponsor our very first year”, she said. “Thanks to their generous support, Big Rock has enabled us to impact the lives of those faced with serious illness, and I am so grateful for their generous support.”

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