CamoMan
New Member
I just received an exciting email this afternoon, and I want to loudly and publicly thank the IBA for their extremely generous gift to Wildwood Hills Ranch near St. Charles, Iowa. We have been wanting to start an archery program in their summer camps, and the IBA just made that possible by donating 6 Mathews Genesis bows, arrows, armguards, targets and the backstop. I can’t begin to tell you how appreciative and excited I am about this.
Wildwood Hills Ranch is a beautiful 400 acre camp, and it hosts about 900 kids each summer for week-long camps. The majority of these kids would be considered ‘troubled’, or at-risk kids. Many of them come from environments and circumstances that would absolutely break your heart if you heard some of their stories. Most are sponsored by donations which makes it possible for them to attend camp.
By starting this archery program, we can add one more tool that will help us break through and reach some of these great kids. In addition to the summer program, we are planning to create an archery club for the LITs (Leaders in Training) and the CITs (Counselors in Training). These teens are past campers who have responded well, and can be taken to ‘the next level’. However, they still live in situations that are difficult at best, and they face daily challenges at home that fly in the face of what they know is right. Through this archery club, we will reach out to these kids on a personal level, with the intent of developing quality one-on-one mentoring relationships. I have a couple of great teammates in Ironwood and Elkhunter, and they share the same vision.
Eventually, we want to establish a program that will allow us to take some of these kids hunting for deer and turkey on the ranch. That is at least a year or more away from reality. Our first mission, in conjunction with the great staff and leadership at the ranch, is to get the archery programs established, build an awesome team of mentors, and develop some great kids by simply showing them that they have value. I have never been involved in a program that has the potential to be as powerful and impacting as this program promises to be. Thanks once again to the Iowa Bowhunters Association, and the kind-hearted people who made the decision to help out the ranch with this great gift. We had only raised part of the money for the equipment, and now, we are able to consider using that money to buy some other equipment for some of the older and bigger kids as we expand our program. Please do support the IBA, because they are definitely supporting a lot of good causes . . . in addition to our valued hunting rights.
By starting this archery program, we can add one more tool that will help us break through and reach some of these great kids. In addition to the summer program, we are planning to create an archery club for the LITs (Leaders in Training) and the CITs (Counselors in Training). These teens are past campers who have responded well, and can be taken to ‘the next level’. However, they still live in situations that are difficult at best, and they face daily challenges at home that fly in the face of what they know is right. Through this archery club, we will reach out to these kids on a personal level, with the intent of developing quality one-on-one mentoring relationships. I have a couple of great teammates in Ironwood and Elkhunter, and they share the same vision.
Eventually, we want to establish a program that will allow us to take some of these kids hunting for deer and turkey on the ranch. That is at least a year or more away from reality. Our first mission, in conjunction with the great staff and leadership at the ranch, is to get the archery programs established, build an awesome team of mentors, and develop some great kids by simply showing them that they have value. I have never been involved in a program that has the potential to be as powerful and impacting as this program promises to be. Thanks once again to the Iowa Bowhunters Association, and the kind-hearted people who made the decision to help out the ranch with this great gift. We had only raised part of the money for the equipment, and now, we are able to consider using that money to buy some other equipment for some of the older and bigger kids as we expand our program. Please do support the IBA, because they are definitely supporting a lot of good causes . . . in addition to our valued hunting rights.
