The Dallas Safari Club (DSC), an ongoing supporter of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) has awarded the youth development organization a grant totaling more than $24,000. This support comes from various chapters, including DSC Great Lakes, DSC Heartland, DSC Oklahoma, and DSC Charleston.
The DSC’s mission is to ensure wildlife conservation through public participation, education, and advocacy for well-regulated hunting and sustainable use. Each year, DSC raises funds through an annual convention, which go toward grants that directly support our mission of conservation, education, and advocacy. Through outreach efforts and informational content that introduces science-based shooting and wildlife management to growing demographics, DSC is securing a legacy of knowledgeable future sportsmen, sportsmen and conservationists. SSSF is honored to accept this large grant amount in support of youth development through its Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP).
“As a nonprofit organization, we realize how much effort fundraising takes,” said SASP National Director Rick Leach. “We greatly appreciate the fact that these four DSC chapters are willing to donate their hard-earned funds in recognition of our mission of youth development. The Dallas Safari Club has supported our programs for several years and the continued vote of confidence from multiple DSC chapters is humbling.”
“Both of SSSF’s youth programs are very fortunate to have the support of the entire outdoor industry,” said SCTP National Director Tom Wondrash. “The Dallas Safari Club continues to invest in our youth, who will be the next generation of hunters and conservationists. Through our youth development programs, we aim to make the next generations the best citizens they can be. The DSC multi-chapter grant funding is an incredible gesture and we look forward to continuing our work with the support of DSC for years to come.”
With a year-round season, these funds are immediately used for SSSF youth programs. Holding its largest national championship event to date with over 10,000 entries, the SSSF looks to continue its mission of facilitating youth development through its team-based clay target, action shooting and international disciplines. As USA Shooting’s official youth feeder program, achieving athlete success can be realized at the highest levels through SCTP and SASP. Athletes can begin their shooting sporting journey at an early age and continue through college, which is encouraged and supported by scholarships offered by SSSF’s two youth development programs.
The safety and support of the athletes is fundamental to the mission of the SSSF. In 2020, the foundation launched its modernized coach education programs to help expand the national network of young adult volunteers in shooting sports. With new teams being activated through programs like SCTP and SASP every day, the need for a simple, efficient and comprehensive path to coach certification becomes a reality as the SSSF Basic Coach Certification Program. With the support of the DSC grant, SSSF plans to expand its training offerings with an advanced trainer’s curriculum and training focused on the international disciplines of skeet, bunker trap, pistol/air rifle, and sport pistol.
About the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation
The Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) is a 501(c)(3) public charity responsible for all aspects of the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) and the Scholastic Action Shooting Program (SASP) in the United States. The SCTP and SASP are youth development programs in which adult coaches and other volunteers use shooting sports to teach and demonstrate sportsmanship, responsibility, honesty, ethics, integrity, teamwork, and other positive life skills.
Provide and enhance opportunities for personal growth and development for student-athlete members; become the leading authority on all things firearms related activities for youth; pass on to future generations the legacy of lifelong, safe and responsible enjoyment of shooting sports. This includes serving as the primary feed for organized and sanctioned shooting organizations and teams such as USA SHOOTING, TEAM USA, and the NGBs (NSSA, NSCA, ATA).