NRA Supporting Shooting Sports

The NRA Foundation has announced nearly $500,000 in grants to support the shooting sports in 53 Pennsylvania counties.  According to Field Representative Kory Enck, the average gift for programs in the county was $7,000.

Many of the gifts focused on youth outreach programs. More than $17,000 has been designated to support the Pennsylvania Youth Hunter Education Challenge, while $15,000 went to support the Pennsylvania Youth Education Summit (YES).

One of Pennsylvania’s YES participants from Duncannon recently made headlines for her trip to the nation’s capital with the program.

Brittany N. Tietje, a senior at Susquenita High School, recently returned from the National Rifle Association’s 2009 National Youth Education Summit in Washington, D.C.

YES is a seven-day, expense-paid, educational experience for outstanding high school sophomores and juniors that concentrates on the significance of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights while developing an understanding of government and the importance of actively participating in it.

Tietje, a member of the Governor’s Youth Council for Hunting, Fishing and Conservation, was selected for YES from a pool of qualified applicants from across the country based on an extensive application, school transcripts, an essay about the Second Amendment, a personal statement and three personal recommendations.

The program was created to encourage America’s youth to become active and knowledgeable citizens.

These programs are funded by donations made through the Friends of the NRA program. By joining dozens of other gun owners for an evening of dinner and games, you can contribute to the future of the shooting sports. Volunteers from across the state host these local events and ultimately decide how the money raised is spent in our own backyard. Half of the money raised is guaranteed to support Pennsylvania-specific projects for youth, women’s outreach and shooting clubs.