By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
June, 2018: Chad and Kelley Whitworth check in to Huntsville Main for a routine C-section delivery of their second child. His name was Wells Clayton; the pregnancy had been normal, no red flags for mama or baby, but Wells had been a bit quiet the morning he was supposed to get here. No one was worried, and then, for reasons known only by God, Wells quietly passed away within the safety of his mother’s womb. He weighed seven pounds and some change, was perfect, and his parents, brothers, friends, and family are going to have to wait ‘til heaven to meet, know, and love him forever. Wells has an older brother named Miller, and a younger brother named Tuck. It is important to Chad and Kelley to have their boys grow up in a culture where people give and help in a time of need, and the boys are now a part of this, too.
When Wells passed, Kelley and Chad immediately came under the extraordinary care of professionals, families, strangers, friends, and their own kin. They were overwhelmed by the support that flooded them, including the fact that their family covered the cost of Wells’s funeral. So, they decided very quickly after Wells died to start a fund to help other parents and families facing the same thing. “We wanted to give to other families what our family had given to us — the ability to focus on healing, and each other,” Kelley told me.
This is how the Annual Wells Clayton Whitworth Memorial Pheasant Shoot came to be, and on March 1st of 2025, for the seventh time, members of the hunting community as well as non-hunting supporters will gather together to hunt pheasants in a controlled setting. All proceeds will go to the foundation. It will be held on the Whitworth family farm, and there will be food, raffles, fun, community building, and more, all dedicated to a most critical, worthy, and fragile cause.
The mechanics of the shoot are these: people “purchase” bales for $750, and the round bales are set strategically out in the field. Only two guns per bale, but there can be four people occupying the bale as long as just the two guns are used at a time. Kelley told me that people also use this opportunity to train bird dogs as well as give their kids a chance to learn to hunt in a designed environment.
So, what if you don’t hunt? Well, while the price of a bale includes lunch, you can come and just purchase lunch, cheer on the hunters, participate in the raffles, and check out the merchandise. T-shirts, hoodies, hats, and more will be waiting for you.
In the beginning, there were about 80 people involved in purchasing a bale from which to hunt. Chad said, “Last year there were over 700 people who came to the shoot,” and to date, the Wells Clayton Whitworth Memorial Fund has raised over $600K to help bereaved families. It is bittersweet to note that since 2018, they have been able to help over 350 families. The Whitworths lost Wells at Huntsville Hospital (Main), and now 13 hospitals in the TN Valley have joined the cause. “We want to help make sure families at each of these facilities experiencing a loss get the support they need,” said Kelley.
The Whitworths have seen things full circle. Kelley mentioned, “We have been able to help families we are forever connected to. We have even been able to collaborate with other loss families for fundraisers and events to help those experiencing similar circumstances. We have seen this loss firsthand, while also walking alongside other friends and families suffering similar losses. The statistics for stillbirth are overwhelming, and we are grateful to have a community of people who love and support what we do. “
Since the inception of the WCWMF, options have increased for sponsorships. Now you can donate toward the purchase and release of the pheasants, the cost of the meal, and the auction items are fascinating. Last year’s auction included a gun safe, a King Charles Cavalier puppy was donated, along with a Highlands cow. “You can expect a variety of fun items at the auction for this year’s event,” said Kelley.
Save March 1, 2025, for the opportunity to help heal the broken-hearted, bring home the pheasant you bag for your family, and have a wonderful day with like-minded people while building memories that will last a lifetime.
By: Ali Elizabeth Turner
December 20, 2024
