The 21st annual Tuna Challenge will cast its lines at Shelter Island on Sept. 11-12 to again benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of San Diego, a charitable nonprofit organization whose purpose is to grant wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions. The event is hosted by Silver Gate Yacht Club and presented by San Diego County Credit Union. Since it was founded in 1991, the Tuna Challenge has raised more than $2 million and is now the largest tuna-fishing tournament in the continental United States. The Make-A-Wish Tuna Challenge is also the largest fundraiser for the San Diego Chapter of Make-A-Wish, luring enough funding to grant 20 percent of the foundation children’s wishes each year in San Diego County. Anglers will gather on Saturday, Sept. 11 at the Silver Gate Yacht Club, located at 2091 Shelter Island Drive, to drop lines at 5 a.m. and compete for awards such as multi-day fishing trips to Alaska and Mexico, fishing gear, boat equipment and other prizes. The 2010 Tuna Challenge will conclude Sept. 12 with a family-friendly banquet that is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the yacht club. Activities include raffles, auctions, entertainment, tournament awards and lunch. Tickets for the banquet are $15 and can be purchased at the door. All anglers and non-anglers are invited to participate in the Tuna Challenge Boat Raffle. This year’s raffle features a super grand-prize package with a Defiance Admiral 220 NT Pilot House. The second-place prize is a 52-inch Sony KDL-TV (or comparable) and a Blu-ray DVD player valued at $2,400. The third-place prize is a four-day, three-night Alaskan trip for two. MAKE-A-WISH TUNA CHALLENGE 2010 WHEN: 5 a.m., Sept. 11; 10 a.m., Sept. 12 WHERE: Silver Gate Yacht Club, 2091 Shelter Island Drive. CONTACT: For more information, tournament entry fees and registration, visit www.tunachallenge.org. To learn more about the Make-A-Wish Foundation, call (858) 707-9474, or visit www.wishsandiego.org.