Local marksmen take aim to raise money for scouts
OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – The Col. Tom Kelly Legends of the Spring Clay Shoot is a benefit fundraiser for the Natchez Trace Council of Boy Scouts of America.
There are two of these events a year, and for this one at Camp Seminole, they are hoping to raise funds and grow scouting in North Mississippi.
Rick Wise said many people look at the Boy Scouts of America as a camping organization. But really, the outdoors is just their classroom.
Physical fitness, citizenship, character development, and leadership are what they hope to instill in the youth.
“The program is over 100 years old, and it’s a proven thing, if you look at the leaders of our country, a lot of them are Eagle Scouts, and people just don’t even know it,” said Rick Wise, Assistant Scout Executive with Natchez Trace Council BSA.
The Natchez Trace Council serves around 1,200 youth across 22 counties.
“Really, this event we do so that we can have shooting sports events for the youth because shooting sports takes a lot of money, just the facilities, the guns, the ammunition, and the targets,” Wise said. “To be able to provide that for youth, we have to have events like this where people come out and have a really good time shooting and supporting this program.”
And through the Col. Tom Kelly Legends of the Spring Clay Shoot event, they are hoping to raise about $50,000 to support future leaders.
“Whether you’re a really good shot or you’re a beginner, you can come out and have some good fun,” said Toby Steed, Fund Development Vice President of Natchez Trace Council BSA.
Toby Steed said this shooting is a unique event that attracts people from all over the state and country. He wants people who attend to walk away with something bigger than just another day at the range.
“A sense of pride. They’re helping our Natchez Trace Council,” Steed said.
“You know, when you come out to an event like this, you’re not just having a good time. You’re supporting your community,” Wise said.
“I think the main thing that keeps us going is it’s something that we enjoy and we just want to get back to what scouting has gave to us, because a lot of us have been in scouting for many years now and we’ve seen what scouting can do for others and what it has done for us,” said Dalton Steed, Volunteer Scouter, Adult Leader.
The Col. Tom Kelly Legends of the Spring Clay Shoot will be at Camp Seminole near Starkville on Saturday, May 10. Check-in will be at 8 a.m. You can sign up on site, and there is plenty of room for extra teams.
They will kick off on Friday, 5:30 pm, with a dinner and auction to support the council as well.
The dinner is $25 and the shoot is $125.
For more information, visit natcheztracecouncil.org.
