Stuart Bayne and David Bigger, members of the Southside Friends of NRA Chapter Committee, recently traveled to Ashland, Va., to serve as Southside Virginia delegates on the Virginia State NRA Fund Committee. As selected delegates, Bayne and Bigger were among those tasked with reviewing and selecting successful grant proposals submitted by various organizations from across the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Friends of NRA Chapters throughout Virginia hold annual fundraising events for the purpose of raising dollars to provide and support youth shooting sports activities and general firearm safety education to youth and adults alike. Every single dollar of the net proceeds raised at these events is returned in grants to various youth groups throughout the state. The majority of this year’s proposals were submitted by youth organizations such as Virginia 4-H and Boy Scouts of America chapters.

The Southside Friends of NRA Chapter holds its annual event at the Arrowhead Gun Club and is consistently the second most successful fundraising chapter in the state, outraising urban chapters across the state with far more population to draw from. The event has sold out in advance the past six years and has been strongly supported by Southside Virginians who support youth activities and shooting sports.

Southside Virginia 4-H chapters from Mecklenburg, Lunenburg, Charlotte and Brunswick counties were among those who were awarded funds to support youth shooting activities and gun safety education. The Lunenburg and Charlotte County 4-H proposals requested funds to be utilized to establish new programs and provide area youth with yet another excellent opportunity to participate in that great youth organization.

With regards to 4-H proposals, Bayne noted, “I’ve been an active member of the Southside Friends of NRA Chapter for 14 years and will continue to do so as long as I am able…due to the fact the funds that our committee works so hard to raise go right back into our community and benefit the youth in Southside Virginia. I’m not sure there is any other national fundraising organization across the country that can make that claim. The great thing about the 4-H organization is that it encourages the participation of both boys and girls and treats them as equals in every way, promotes team building to our youth, and teaches valuable life lessons that I believe remain with them throughout life…and prepares them to become valuable members of society.”

If you are interested in being a part of one of the local youth groups, contact Virginia Cooperative Extension (4-H), Boy Scouts of America or local schools to get information.

If you would like to be a part of local fundraising events, please type www.friendsofnra.org or contact David Wells at dwells@nrahq.org