2023 Blue Ridge Chapter in Review
As we turn the final Calendar page of the year, it’s a great opportunity to look back on our accomplishments of 2023.
Our 4th Annual banquet held in March was again a sell out and saw a record number of attendees (240) which is always gratifying. We had attendees stretching from Maine all the way down to NC including PA, MD, WV and of course VA. The 13 Corporate Tables sold saw many sportsmen and women enjoying a great evening and also allowed many businesses the opportunity to introduce new attendees to our efforts for aiding in conservation and kids!
We were able to have Sawyer Harris from Roanoke VA attend the banquet along with his family and to share his experience of his successful Elk youth hunt in Southwest Wyoming. Our chapter aided in co-funding this hunt which was also gratifying for our attendees that contributed to this effort through their financial contributions and banquet participation. The putting the ‘U’ in Hunts and seeing firsthand what this means to these youths and their families is heartwarming to say the least! We closed the night with a “Paddle Raise” fund raiser that garnished additional funds that the Blue Ridge Chapter can assist HQ with for additional youth hunts moving forward.
When the final accounting took place, we were able to allocate $36K to numerous projects which is the most rewarding part of what we get to due thanks to our unique 70/30 model.
Without any doubt, the news of the Kemmerer 189 Wildlife Crossing being fully funded was nothing short of amazing! Our chapter was grateful to be able to contribute $30K to this much needed project over a two-year span which will have long lasting positive results for the herds using this corridor during their migrations periods along with reducing costly motor vehicle collisions and injuries. This will be one exciting ribbon cutting ceremony when completed!
We were fortunate in adding a new committee member in 2023 that also shows great passion for western hunting along with our mission and will no doubt bring new ideas and open new doors for us moving forward. Ron and I are grateful to be supported by our now 9 committee members and to collectively share in the passion we all share for mule deer and Conservation.
Its also rewarding to see the ongoing results of the foundations Calendar Firearms winners that come from all over the country. Recently we saw the posting showing 6 separate winners, four of them coming from the east coast which in its self is gratifying given no mule deer within 2000+ miles of these states!
Another area of great pride for all of us is seeing the incredible growth of our Life Memberships. Eclipsing the 650 mark and showing no signs of stopping again shows the commitment by many across the nation wanting to step up for mule deer and the foundations mission. No telling where this number will grow to and kudos to Chris for his efforts!
Work is well underway in now preparing for our 5th Annual Blue Ridge Chapter banquet to be held April 13 th 2024 along with the opportunity to visit with our growing base of supports here in the East.
A Happy New Year to all!
Sincerely,
Dave Kavanah
CONTACT INFORMATION BLUE RIDGE CHAPTER:
Dave Kavanah = 757-635-3841
Ron Kendra = 540-327-8691
Email = duktol@aol.com
Social Media:
Facebook: @MFFVirginia
Attend the 2024 Blue Ridge Chapter Event with Guest Speaker Kevin Monteith, click the link 2024 Blue Ridge Chapter to purchase tickets.
