Whitetails Unlimited Awards Grant to Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors
Wichita, KS, June 20, 2023. Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors was recently awarded a grant from Whitetails Unlimited. These funds will be used to expand the rapidly growing Shooting Sports Outreach Program to engage participants in high school and college shooting sports in hunting activities.
Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors has been engaged in recruiting mentors for at-risk youth since its beginnings in 2002. Last year, our Program Coordinators planned over 500 events across the states of Kansas and Iowa which resulted in getting over 1,200 kids outdoors through mentorship. Since fall of 2019, Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors has doubled the number of hunts year over year and is expecting to organize over 700 hunts in ‘23, growing by another 50%.
Brittany French, Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors CEO commented, “Our program is identifying barriers that youth face when becoming a hunter or angler. We are working every day to break those barriers by providing new and continued hunting and fishing opportunities to youth interested in becoming an outdoorsman/woman. By providing access, social support and guidance from vetted volunteer mentors, thousands of kids each year are reaping the benefits of the outdoors. With the generosity from Whitetails Unlimited, we are going to be able to serve more deserving youth in the outdoors!”
Russell Austad, Program Services Director for Whitetails Unlimited Inc., commented “Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors has grown exponentially since its start. What they have done to introduce to kids to hunting and the outdoors is nothing short of extraordinary.”
“One of the keys to our Shooting Sports Outreach Program model is our partnership with conservation organizations like Whitetails Unlimited who recognize that we need to cultivate new hunters as much as we need to cultivate habitat if we are going to ensure the future of the North American Model of Conservation,” commented Mike Christensen, President of Pass It On – Outdoor Mentors. “We rely on the volunteers and mentors from Whitetails Unlimited and other organizations to share their love of the outdoors with all of these new hunters.”
About the Whitetails Unlimited:
Founded in 1982, Whitetails Unlimited is a national nonprofit conservation organization that has remained true to its mission and has made great strides in the field of conservation. We have gained the reputation of being the nation’s premier organization dedicating our resources to the betterment of the white-tailed deer and its environment. Whitetails Unlimited’s mission is to raise funds in support of (1) educational programs, (2) wildlife habitat enhancement and acquisition, and (3) preservation of the hunting tradition and shooting sports for future generations.
To learn more about Pass It On - Outdoor Mentors, Inc. please visit their website at http://www.outdoormentors.org
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