Hunting is declining and it’s creating a crisis for conservation. That is why the United Taxidermist Association supports Pass it On! – Outdoor Mentors, a501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to giving children the chance to experience the great outdoors.
We’ve invited the kids and mentors of Pass it On! to attend the 2020 UTA Expo and Convention in Wichita, KS. On Saturday, May 16th, they will be able to walk through the supply room, then they’re off to a special showing of ‘Stuffed’, and finally, to the competition room to see how it all comes together.
Additionally, the United Taxidermist Association will sell a Marvel African Safari during our live auction immediately following the banquet and awards ceremony. We will be donating one-half of the proceeds from this safari to Pass it On!
Pass it On started as a part of Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks in 1999 and has since spun off into other states including Alabama, Alaska, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin. They focus on matching caring adults with a passion for the outdoors with children that want to learn about the outdoors. Activities include fishing, camping, hiking, bird watching, archery, hunting, shooting sports, and sailing.
In Kansas, the State High School Clay Target League is growing at a great pace. Having started just 4 years ago, there are 74 high school teams and over 1,800+ students participating this spring. In addition, 4-H Shooting Sports in Kansas has over 5,300 participants.
Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors has begun a new initiative that links state high school clay shooting programs with opportunities to hunt with skilled mentor-volunteers. The organization is building on their expertise in mentoring with organizations like Big Brothers Big Sisters and expanding their offerings to state high school clay shooting teams, helping bridge the gap between shooting skills and hunting skills and contribute to the goals of the National R3 (recruitment/retention/reactivation) effort.
Their goals with this new effort are to 1) recruit new hunters by giving those who don’t currently hunt opportunities to hunt upland game, waterfowl, turkey and deer; 2) retain current hunters by giving those youth trap shooters and their parents who currently are hunters the opportunity to engage in more hunting activities; and 3) to reactivate parents who want to participate with their children in these hunting activities.
Pass It On empowers and educates youth to hunt and fish, but more importantly to embrace the outdoors. Hunting and fishing are the cornerstone of conservation in America and Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors is doing the hard work to get kids to connect with this lifestyle.
Pass it On – Outdoor Mentors, Inc.
310 East 2nd Street North
Wichita, KS 67202
https://www.outdoormentors.org/
https://www.facebook.com/OutdoorMentors
https://www.instagram.com/outdoormentors/
Mike Christensen
(316) 290-8883
mchristensen@outdoormentors.org
Brittany Waldman
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