From Illinois' TribLocal.com, we learn about two youth groups who recently received generous NRA Foundation grants.

The area's Shooting Sports Committee Chair Tom Petrik says the $5000 grant is making a big difference for the youth: "Every grant we get is a step in the right direction for being able to provide all the program materials for all the age groups,” Petrik said.

Local Youth Receive Grants to Help Them Teach Shooting Sports

Two Venturing Crews of the Northwest Suburban Council in Mt. Prospect, IL, have each received a grant from the Friends of NRA state grant fund for Illinois. Both Crews of youth and their adult leaders will use the equipment to increase their ability to teach shooting sports at the Boy Scout camps they serve.

Venturing is the newest program of the Boy Scouts of America, and provides programs of citizenship, leadership, service, community & family, outdoors, and fitness. Each Crew decides whether they want to be all female, all male, or co-ed. The youth who make up these Venturing Crews are 14 to 21 years old, adult leaders over 21. Venturing participants learn the skills for their specialty through leadership, group activities, adult association, recognition, high adventure and by teaching others.

Crew 477, composed of the staff at Camp Napowan in Wild Rose, WI, received a $5000 grant that will allow them to purchase some new firearms and archery equipment for their rifle, archery, and shotgun ranges at the camp. Crew 478, comprised of the staff for Camp Lakota, Woodstock, IL, also received a $5000 grant that will allow them to purchase some pellet guns for older Scouts to use, gun vaults for equipment storage and a lockable ammunition cabinet. In addition, they will receive both youth and adult bows and assorted archery equipment to use at their camp, equipment that is also loaned out to local scout districts to hold Day Camp programs for Cub Scouts.

Read the entire story.

If you're in the northern Illinois area, check out the upcoming Friends of NRA banquet, set for September 30 at Atlantis Banquets in Arlington Heights.

2010 Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.) attendee Reed Hubbell had the chance to talk to the Delta County Independent about his experience in Washington D.C. An excerpt from DeltaCountyIndependent.com:

NRA youth summit a great learning experience, Hubbell reports

... But his favorite part of the trip was meeting the “intelligent, kind” students who attended the summit.

“They were brought in from all over the country, from California to Maine, but I found myself wishing they went to my high school,” Hubbell said. “Simply put, they were cool people. Even if you attend the summit and don’t win a single scholarship, you’ll leave Washington a lot more educated, with some great memories and 44 new friends.”

Although Hubbell had to pay his own airfare, he said the trip was top notch.

“I’d encourage anyone who’s interested in government, the Second Amendment, or just a truly educational experience to attend YES. It’s an unforgettable event.”

Hubbell joined the NRA after he returned from Washington. “I turned 16 and decided it’s about time I stand up for the Second Amendment rights I believe in.”

The NRA partners with many youth cooperative organizations, from the Boy Scouts of America to 4-H. Thousands of young people receive training from NRA Certified Instructors each year through our Cooperative Youth Organizatons Program.

The NRA Whittington Center is involved with a variety of these programs. The Center will host young people from Wyoming for an educational clinic in early September. The entrance to the Whittington Center is pictured at right.

From the Platte County Record Times:

Platte County Shooters head to NRC Tourney

3 members of the 4-H Shooting Sports Club have qualified for a trip to Raton, New Mexico, with the National Rifle Association.

The four day shooting clinic is an opportunity only 12 shooting participants from Wyoming have qualified to attend, and Platte County’s Ashley Johnson, Leo Perez, Jr., and Toby Tackitt, will be the first Platte County shooters to attend the event in eight years.

“I feel nervous, but I’m happy,” Johnson said, adding she was happy Perez and Tackitt will also be able to represent Platte County. “I’m excited.”

Perez said shooters qualify to attend the event by making the top scores in 5 shooting disciplines throughout the State.

Read the entire story here.

It's hard to believe the Youth Education Summit (YES) was almost two months ago. The forty-five students who made the trek to Washington, D.C. for a once in a lifetime educational experience didn't leave us empty handed. A number of students took the time to thank the handful of NRA employees who planned and ran the seven-day event with their own special brand of thank yous.

This board of thanks belongs to Amber Niblock-Shorter, who was one of the key planners and executors of this year's Youth Education Summit.

"It was a pleasure to serve as host to all those wonderful young adults," Amber said. "Witnessing how they engaged during our workshops, their enthusiasm during the tours - or while listening to our speakers - made me feel proud to be part of such a unique program. "

While in the nation's capital, this year's group of rising high school juniors and seniors learned the significance of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the importance of being an active citizen. The students toured the U.S. Capitol, the National Archives Museum, the Pentagon, the NRA National Firearms Museum, and many of the memorials and monuments in Washington, D.C.

Think YES sounds like something you'd like to be part of? Then what are you waiting for? It's never too early to sign up for next year's Y.E.S. — June 20 - 26, 2011. The application deadline is Valentine's Day, February 14, 2011.

Learn more about YES and its scholarship opportunities by visiting www.friendsofnra.org/yes.

NRA National Firearms Museum's Doug Wicklund reports:

You could tell they were nervous by the way they placed their sleeping bags close to one another.

But the Scouts were excited as well as they spread out through NRA HQ and prepared for a “Night at the Museum.”

Yet this would be an evening for these young Scouts unlike any other at the National Firearms Museum, because it was Friday the 13th....

The special afterhours tour wandered through the quiet galleries, pausing from time to time at significant pieces. The Hollywood Guns gallery gathered the most attention with Scouts gazing in awe at the actual guns from movies like Die Hard or The Outlaw Josey Wales. But the “petting zoo” downstairs was next on the agenda. The Scouts filed slowly into the dimly-lit auditorium, only to halt in amazement at what was spread out on tables before them.

Assistant Curator Amber Lammers had put out an assortment of arms fit to repel any monster. And they were going to get to handle them.

The Scouts had the chance to inspect historic Civil War pieces like an 1863 Remington rifle, classic military guns like the M1 carbine, M16 and AK-47 rifles, as well as bigger ordnance like an M60 machine gun. A particular favorite of the evening was the Steyr AUG, one of the gun models with screen time on Die Hard.

Interested in scheduling a tour of the Museum for your group? Call the NRA National Firearms Museum at 703-267-1620 for information.

Overnight visits are available for Boy Scouts troops, provided the Museum has enough advance notice. "The Boy Scouts experienced a unique “behind the scenes” look at the magic of museums, even to handling pieces of history – it really was a special activity that happens nowhere else," Wicklund said. "We’ve had many Scout groups in the two years we have offered this program and the “word of mouth” advertising is great."

This year's NRA Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.) took place in July. Its participants have since returned to their homes across the United States. Julia Parker, a $500 scholarship winner, recently made the news in her home state of New Hampshire.

From Nashuatelegraph.com:

Merrimack teen awarded scholarship by NRA

Seventeen-year-old home school student Julia Parker, of Merrimack, has grown up learning the importance of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights – especially the right to bear arms.

“Our parents have always tried to give us that love of the Constitution to help us understand so we can be forces for good in our country and in our lives,” Parker explained. To prepare for her political science minor at Brigham Young University this fall, Parker was searching around for political conferences when she came across the National Rifle Association’s National Youth Education Summit in Washington, D.C., and found it tailor-made to her interests and hobbies.

... From July 12-18, Parker took an expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C., to participate in the NRA summit that motivates students to become active and knowledgeable U.S. citizens by learning the significance of the Constitution and understanding the federal government.

“It was really neat for one thing, to be there with so many other youth that share your values, that help you grow,” Parkers said. “They all have this passion for the Constitution, so you really feel like you’re with your colleagues. We were all on the same level, understanding how important this was.”

One of 45 high school students from approximately 40 states across the county, Parker, the only representative from New Hampshire, spent a week of her summer touring the Pentagon, the National Archives, numerous war memorials, the Capitol and the Marine Corps base, Quantico.

She also had the opportunity to chat with Congressman Duncan D. Hunter, R-Calif., and NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre, among other things.

“The week was quite packed, but it was worth every minute of it,” Parker said.

This just in from NRA's Hunter Services Department:

If you weren't at the 2010 Interational Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) to make it to the sales tent, now is your chance to purchase your YHEC 25th anniversary commemorative t-shirt! Designed for NRA by Buck Wear, Inc., these shirts were a favorite for competitors and their families as YHEC celebrated it's 25 year milestone this year.

There are a very limited number of chocolate brown shirts available, but black shirts are still available in the following sizes: S, M, L, X, XL, 2X, 3X.

Shirts go for $15 a piece, inclusive of shipping and tax. They are available while supplies last. Orders will be filled in the order they are received.

Email your questions and/or order to Rebecca Peak at rpeak@nrahq.org. Please include color, size, quantity and shipping address. Credit cards are accepted.

An NRA Day event in Wisconsin was recently featured in the Columbus Journal. Sponsored by the Dodge County Friends of NRA, the event allowed area families to try their hand and the shooting sports and enjoy a day of family fun.

Sportsman's association holds family day

NRA Family Day was held July 31 at the Columbus Sportsman's Association (CSA), sponsored by Dodge County Friends of the NRA.

After a safety briefing, families were given hands-on instruction for shooting shotguns, single action shooting (cowboy), pistol and rifle by volunteer instructors associated with the Dodge County Friends of the NRA and CSA members.

Camp Director Steve Steinbeck would like to thank the volunteers who made the event possible: Rick Tebeest, Art Nevinf, Jerry Quiesser, DuWayne Kuenzi, Irene Pawlisch, Paul Mayer and Mike Fredricks.

NRA Day is an annual summer event at CSA made possible by the volunteers, NRA and CSA support.

Jamie Henning of Beaver Dam shared how he had not hunted or shot since childhood and had learned about the event at a recent hunter safety course in Beaver Dam that he had taken with his son in hopes of returning to the woods. During the day he told everyone, "Next year, we are bringing my wife. She would love this." Henning's word of the day was, "Wow!"

This day provided an opportunity for people to experience all kinds of firearm disciplines unfamiliar to them in a safe educational range environment. There was a good deal of friendly competition for bragging rights between spouses and siblings at some stations, making it a fun relaxed day for everyone.

Because the Friends of the NRA supports the 4-H shooting sports projects, a special invitation went out to Columbia County 4-H families to use the day to explore shooting sports. Starting in January 2011, CSA will be offering 4-H courses in wildlife/ecology, air pistol and archery. Any 4-H youth may participate as long as they are registered in that specific shooting sports project. Go to www.csa12.com for the complete 4-H shooting sports schedule, including rifle and muzzle loader.

Continue reading here.

Interested in attending a NRA Day event? Find one in your area.

From Senior Event Services Coordinator Nicole McMahon:

Do you live in North Carolina? Are you a freshman, sophomore, or junior in high school and want to learn more about becoming an active citizen and the National Rifle Association? Do you have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale? Then apply to the 2010 North Carolina Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.)! The deadline to apply is Wednesday, August 25.

The North Carolina Y.E.S. program will take place Friday, September 10 – Sunday, September 12. During the summit, students will be introduced to the legislative and political bodies in their state, become educated about the rich history of North Carolina, tour museums and historical sites in the area, as well learn public speaking and debating skills.

At the conclusion of North Carolina Y.E.S., three students will be awarded college scholarships, and the top winner will be selected to attend the 2011 National Y.E.S. program in Washington, D.C. from June 20 – 26.

For more information, please contact NRA Field Representative David Wells at (252) 456-2097 or dwells@nrahq.org.

Thanks to Chris Manning from Pennsylvania's Daily Review for an article featuring a team of five young men who brought home a win at the 2010 NRA Youth Hunter Education Challenge. Read on for more about their journey and their view from the top of the leaderboard:

Troy Senior YHEC team enjoys being on top

TROY - For the Senior Troy Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) team, winning the National Championship has been a long time coming.

"It's finally sunk in," Zach Bixby said. "Now when people ask how we did, we can say 'we are the National Champs.'"

For the team of Bixby, Jason LeVan, Samuel Antes, Cody Wolfe and Garrett Rathbun, the National title had always seemed just out of reach.

"We've been stuck in third place for a while," Wolfe explained. "We finally got through. We took states four times and we've been trying to take Nationals for a long time."

They see this triumph in their own, unique way.

"It's something our five-man team has been working towards for a long time," LeVan said. "It's good to see a lot of effort finally pay off."

Read the rest of the article here.

NRA Certified Instructor and Range Safety Officer Connie Elliot volunteered at the recent Boy Scout Jamboree, where thousands of scouts participated in the shooting sports. Read on for Elliot's story on running the OK Corral air gun range and how introducing young people to shooting became a rewarding experience.

Attending the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) National Jamboree as staff is a different experience than participating as an adult Troop leader. Both have their own merits, however, attending as a staff member and seeing Jamboree emerge from bare land to a city for thousands is exhilarating.

As an NRA Certified Instructor and NRA Range Safety Officer, you see and hear many things while helping on a range. There are those that ask why we would want to give up two weeks of vacation to spend it with scouters and scouts we have never met before. I had the good fortune of being selected as staff for the Venturing Exhibit’s OK Corral and there are Jamboree scouts that have helped change the way I look at our youth today.

The OK Corral consisted of 12 stations where scouts competed against each other by shooting air rifles at five targets. The first scout to knock down all five of their targets won that round and progressed to the darkened indoor range where they experienced shooting the Night Stalker air rifles with lighted scopes. Needless to say, this was a highlight and the scouts that did not win their round scurried back in line to try their shooting skills again and again.

More...

More than 100 Order of the Arrow members of the St. Louis Area Boy Scout Council’s New Horizons Chapter gathered on the trap field for a very warm evening of shooting clay birds. The temperature was 99° with a dew point temperature in the mid 80’s for a heat index of 111° F. These were truly dedicated Scouts who wanted to shoot! 

As each Scout entered the area, he was greeted by an NRA Certified Instructor and given a briefing covering basic firearm safety and the knowledge, skills and attitude of the fundamentals necessary for eye dominance, stance and sight picture to enable the Scouts to be successful at breaking their targets.

The Scouts received excellent coaching from NRA Certified Instructors from the GSLAC Shooting Sports Committee under the direction of NRA Training Counselor and Chief Range Safety Officer Steve Fleming. Each Arrowman participating was able to shoot a round of trap and receive coaching to hone their shooting skills. While some were first time shooters, each was permitted to return and shoot additional times until darkness forced the closing of the session.

More...

NRAblog told you about the 2010 International Youth Hunter Education Challenge winners from the awards ceremony, but complete results are now available online.

Congratulations to this year's coaches and participants who competed in YHEC's 25th anniversary event in Mansfield, Pennsylvania. A big thank you also goes to the parents, volunteers, and sponsors who have helped the YHEC program flourish and succeed over the past 25 years, carrying on the tradition of hunting and the shooting sports in America.

We'll see you next year as the 2011 International YHEC returns to the NRA Whittington Center in Raton, New Mexico.

The summer season is coming to an end, but there's no need to be upset! There are still opportunities for fun with a few NRA Day events going on in the next several weeks:

• September 18: Fairfax Rod and Gun Club will host the Old Dominion District NRA Day in Manassas, Virginia from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.. This event is for 1^st grade and up, with a $15 entrance fee. All equipment will be provided as well as refreshments and meals. For more information contact Greg Surrena at (571) 337-7207.
• September 19: NRA Day Camp and Family Open House hosted by Old Colony Sportsmen’s Association in Pembroke, Massachusetts from 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. There is no cost for this event, equipment will be provided, but attendees are encouraged to bring their own hearing and eye protection. The first 75 young attendees will receive an NRA T-shirt and FREE lunch! For more information on this event contact George Wilson at (781) 871-0003.
• September 25: Leominster Sportsmen’s Association will host the Leominster Sportsmen’s NRA Day in Leominster, Massachusetts from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. All ages are able to attend with a $5 fee for event. All equipment will be provided as well as refreshments and meals. For more information contact Art O’Leary at (978) 537-2642, oleary5150@comcast.net.
• October 9: Pike County Bird Hunter’s Club will host The 5^th Annual NRA Youth Day in Petersburg, Indiana from 8 a.m. - 3 p.m. Ages 8-18 are able to attend this free event! All equipment will be provided as well as a breakfast and lunch. For more information contact Chris Kinman at (812) 789-3125.

Don’t miss out on these upcoming NRA Days! For more information on the NRA Day events, contact Amanda Millward, NRA Day Coordinator, at (703) 267-1591 or amillward@nrahq.org.

Pennsylvania served as the host state for the 25th Annual International Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) this year, and young hunters from the Keystone State used their home turf advantage to place high in the competition. Check out this article from the Star-Gazette that features the YHEC teams from Troy, Pennsylvania.

Troy shooters grab national title

After several years finishing near the top, a team of young shooters from Troy, Pa., reached the summit last week -- first place in the National Rifle Association Youth Hunter Education Challenge (YHEC) international championship.

The Troy squad, known as the Pennsylvania Senior Gold team, outshot teams from 16 states at the annual championship, held July 26-30 at the Mill Cove Environmental Area near Mansfield, Pa.

In addition to team honors, senior Jason LeVan took second place in the individual competition.

LeVan, Zach Bixby, Cody Wolfe and Garrett Rathbun took part in their final YHEC competition this summer. They are all heading off to college later this month.

Team member Samuel Antes will be a senior this fall and will compete in YHEC one more year.

It was a fitting finish for LeVan and three other seniors who competed in YHEC for the last time.

"It's a great accomplishment for a local club," Troy coach Jeff Castle said. "I have seen teams in the past that are all-around state teams take first place, but this is the first time in my 10 years that I've seen the local home club take it all. I had a great bunch of boys, they worked at it hard for a long time and what a deserving way to go out.

Read the rest of the article here and thanks again to Jeff Murray from the Star-Gazette for his local coverage of YHEC.