LUMBERTON, Texas—A record-breaking 90 youth participants and their families gathered to learn about firearms safety, shooting sports, archery, fishing and conservation at the Sixth Annual Provost Umphrey Get Youth Outdoors Day on May 2.
The free community event was a cooperative effort between the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) and its national partner, Provost Umphrey Law Firm, designed to provide a safe, hands-on outdoor experience for youth.
“The weather was perfect,” said USA Conservation Manager Cody Campbell. “We had a ton of return attendees. They could shoot sporting clays, there was an archery station, and the pond was stocked, though the cool weather made fishing a bit slow. The sporting clays were the biggest hit.”
Coaches and shooters from the Jefferson County 4-H Sporting Clays Club, union volunteers from Roofers International, and Provost Umphrey Law Firm staff instructed youth on shooting shotguns and bows as well as casting for catfish and bluegill in the pond at One in One Hundred Gun Club. Among the coaches was Corey Cruz, a professional sporting clays shooter, instructor, and two-time National Sporting Clays Association (NSCA) champion.
“Having 4H coaches there, as well as professional shooters like Corey, was just great,” said Provost Umphrey Law Firm Managing Partner Joe Fisher. “Some of those kids have never shot sporting clays or even a shotgun. They would miss every clay. Then, with some coaching, they would hit one. And then they would break another one. You’d see their faces just light up. Their parents, too.”
All supplies were provided to youths at no charge, including lunch. Participants were entered in drawings for a variety of hunting gear. The most coveted prizes included a guided whitetail hunt, a guided hog and dove hunt, two fishing trips, and a lifetime Texas hunting license, donated by Provost Umphrey Law Firm.
While the fishing might have been slow, it didn’t bring down the enthusiasm.
“A young mom came up and told me she brought her daughter to this event last year. That was the first time she had ever been fishing,” said Fisher. “She couldn’t wait to come back this year. Her daughter is now obsessed with fishing. Another mom was getting teary-eyed on me as she told me that her husband had a stroke last year, and her two boys were just learning how to fish. He couldn’t do that anymore, and we were their mentors now. Being able to get kids into the outdoors is what this event is all about.”
The Provost Umphrey Get Youth Outdoors Day was part of a series of free, community-based youth outreach activities organized under Work Boots on the Ground—the USA’s flagship conservation program. Saturday’s event was also supported by USA national partner Union Plus as well as USA founding partners UIG, ULLICO, Bank of Labor, AFL-CIO Investment Trust Corporation and Buck Knives.
Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA): The USA is a union-dedicated, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose members hunt, fish, shoot and volunteer their skills for conservation. The USA is uniting the union community through conservation to preserve North America’s outdoor heritage. For more information, visit www.unionsportsmen.org or connect on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Work Boots on the Ground (WBG): WBG is the USA’s flagship conservation program that brings together union members willing to volunteer their time and expertise to conservation projects that improve and enhance public access to the outdoors, conserve wildlife habitat, restore America’s parks and mentor youth in the outdoors. The USA’s Work Boots on the Ground program works closely with federal, state and local agencies and other conservation groups to provide manpower needed to complete critical projects that may otherwise go undone.
Provost Umphrey Law Firm: For over 50 years, our firm’s mission has remained to seek justice for those in need. Our attorneys fight for clients nationwide with offices in Beaumont, Texas, and Nashville, Tennessee. We continue to be one of the most successful trial law firms in the nation by remaining Hard-Working Lawyers for Hard-Working People. To learn more, visit http://www.provostumphrey.com.
