A Message from the Director
I’ve decided to combine my desire to help find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis and the enjoyment Bluegrass music has given me since the 1970’s. The outcome is “Pickin’ on Cystic Fibrosis,” the first of hopefully many shows to be held at the Dogwood Center in Fremont, Michigan.
In 1986 our son Joshua was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF). We had no idea what this disease was or what it would entail. Since that day we have learned the daily struggles these children, and now young adults, have to deal with. When we were informed Josh had CF, they told us he would not live long enough to finish school. Today he is in his second year of college and works part time. He still has to battle with his many daily treatments, but is able to do most anything he likes.
In the past 20 years there has been much progress in the treatment of CF, but there still is no cure. The median age for patients with CF is now around 36 years of age. That is a great improvement -- but not good enough. One of the biggest issues with CF research is there are not enough CF patients. Drug companies do not like to make a huge investment in research if there is no large return for them. That is where we come in.
The profits from “Pickin’ on Cystic Fibrosis,” will be donated toward research through our partner, Hunt for a Cure.
I would like to thank all the volunteers and sponsors that are helping with this event; I could not do it without you. And a very special thank you to the musicians that are playing for “Pickin’ on Cystic Fibrosis.” They are truly the best Michigan has to offer.
Sincerely,
Jimmy Kittle
Jimmy wrote this following our third benefit, in April, 2009
For the past three years Pickin’ on Cystic Fibrosis has been held at the beautiful Dogwood auditorium in Fremont, Michigan. It’s been great listening to the bands performing on such a wonderful stage, and the support of the Dogwood staff and volunteers has been outstanding. We thank all those that have helped and supported us during our time there, but now it is time for POCF to take the next step.
In September 2010 the very first Pickin’ on Cystic Fibrosis festival will take place at the KC campground in Milan, Mich. This will be our first 3 day festival as well.
KC campground is the home of the Milan Bluegrass Festival, held each year in August. We are proud to be adding another festival to this venue.
We will also have the support of Hunt for a Cure. HFC is an organization that raises money for researching a cure for Cystic Fibrosis. They have provided several grants to prestigious research center located in Michigan. All the profits raised will be donated to HFC to help find a cure for the terrible disease.
Please mark your calendars now and plan on joining us for a great time for a great cause. There will be more details coming as we progress with our planning.
Thank you for your past and future support.
Jimmy Kittle
Founder, Pickin' on Cystic Fibrosis
Jimmy wrote this following our second benefit, April 19, 2008
Well, we are going into our third Pickin' on Cystic Fibrosis show and I couldn’t be more pleased. Our start in October of 2007 was very rough, but with a little coxing I was convinced to try it again. In April of 2008 we had a great turn out, with many people from the local area. It’s so nice to get support from the area, but there were also folks that traveled from Kentucky and many parts of Michigan and I am grateful to them.
The support staff for this event has been growing as well. The Dogwood staff has been great; Sherrie and Richard Harris came on board and did a great job with local promotion, helping get the word out and improve attendance. Thanks for making a difference. Pam Warren still donates her time to run the web site and that in itself is a lot of work. Her husband Bill takes many of the pictures you may see on the site, he takes some of the best pictures in bluegrass.
Rich Wheater, of the Fremont Times-Indicator, has put in his time as well, providing advertising, taking pictures, giving advice and helping bring in the Pride of Newaygo group to run the concession.
And last but certainly not least, you can find the bands that have played on this site; several stand out and have been there for both shows. The Windy Mountain boys and Detour have performed at both shows and The Mike Adams band has been the first one on board for each show. All of the bands that have performed have been wonderful and I am grateful to each and every one.
So, now as we prepare for our third show I am again hoping to raise the bar. I have been in contact with Jay Simon of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and we will be meeting to discuss ways to make this bigger and better. It will also streamline the deductibility of the donations.
Keep and eye one this website and watch for updates and changes. We will do our best to keep things updated as we have new information. We could also use your help. If you have been to our show and enjoyed it please pass the work to your friends we can use their support. If there were things that you feel need improving please at I will do what I can to make this show excel.
Thank you for all your support,
Jimmy Kittle
