Local Non-Profit Provides Outdoor Opportunities for Youth

Break-Away Outdoors, a Winston county based non-profit organization, sponsored a dove hunt Saturday, September 17, 2011 for children from the Hernando and Columbus campuses of the Palmer Home for Children. The hunt was hosted by Forestaire Plantation of Holly Bluff, MS. Fourteen children arrived Saturday morning and received goodie bags donated by Bass Pro Shops, hats donated by Sander’s Seed Company (Holy Bluff), and camouflage shirts from Long Leaf Camo (West Point, MS). Other donations were also made by Ladds Golf Carts (Canton, MS), Lex Taylor, Crowson Auto World, and Bullock Toyota (all from Louisville, MS). Volunteers taught gun safety as the children practiced shooting skeet throughout the morning in order to prepare for the hunt that would take place that afternoon. What a wonderful sight it is to see a child shoot a shotgun for the first time and hit the first two skeet he aims at! There were abundant smiles and cheers throughout the morning! Everyone enjoyed hamburgers and hotdogs for lunch, compliments of Crop Production Services and prepared by Chef Shawn Sherrill. After lunch, we headed back to the shooting range for a little more practice. This time the adult volunteers were able to get in on some of the action. Around 3:30, kids and adults headed for the dove field! Shots rang throughout the field for several hours. The doves did not cooperate well, but a few did not fly out of the field that day. The entire hunt was captured by Swag Outdoors of Jackson.
Break-Away Outdoors strives to provide exciting hunting and fishing trips for both young and old people who have no opportunity otherwise, whether because of illness, handicap, financial hardships, or unfortunate circumstances. The 2011-2012 hunting season is going to be a big year for Break-Away Outdoors with three deer hunts, a duck hunt, and a squirrel hunt planned.
Break-Away Outdoors is currently selling tickets for their yearly fundraiser with a grand prize giveaway of $10,000. Tickets are $100 each and will help sponsor a youth or adult this season. For more information on Break-Away Outdoors please visit our website at www.breakawayoutdoors.org. For information on tickets for the fundraiser call Jay Stokes at 662-803-0744.