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2010 Friends of NRA Volunteers of the Year Announced

National Rifle Association

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- The National Rifle Association is pleased to announce its 2010 Friends of NRA Region and Area Volunteer of the Year Award winners.

Sponsored by Boyt Harness Company, the Volunteer of the Year Award recognizes those who have made an outstanding impact on the program at the local or regional levels.

Area Volunteers of the Year are recommended by their NRA Field Representative and evaluated by the number of banquet tickets sold, underwriting received, years of service and additional criteria. Recipients are awarded a “2010 Friends of NRA Volunteer of the Year” jacket along with special recognition from their area Field Representative.

Region Volunteers of the Year were chosen from the pool of area volunteer award winners by a select committee of senior NRA staff. In addition to the 2010 Volunteer of the Year jackets, region award winners will be honored guests at the 2011 Annual Meetings in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and receive special recognition during the National NRA Foundation Banquet on Thursday, April 28, 2011.

“This award stands as a tribute to your leadership, dedication and commitment to the preservation of the shooting sports and the Second Amendment that have advanced and will continue to expand the shooting sports in America,” wrote Wayne LaPierre in a letter awarded to Region Volunteers of the Year.

Boyt Harness Company, the world’s premier manufacturer of high quality gun cases, hunting accessories and specialty hunting clothing, is the official sponsor for the 2010 Friends of NRA Volunteer of the Year Awards.

“The comfort and reliability of Boyt’s products provide great assistance to NRA members when they enjoy their Second Amendment rights,” said John Cardarelli, National Accounts Manager at Boyt. “Supporting Friends of NRA helps make sure that funds get to the national and local programs many of our customers take advantage of and is just one more way we can let outdoor enthusiasts know we have their best interests in mind.”

Below are the winners for the Friends of NRA Regions and Areas.

Region Volunteers of the Year:

• Eastern Region: North Carolina (Western): Vann Haigler, Monroe/Union County
• Central Region: Kentucky: Dennis Duke, Big Rivers
• Mid West Region: North Dakota and South Dakota: Jeff Jensen, Northern Oahe
• Southern Region: Texas (Western): Robin Dawson, Texas Panhandle
• Western Region: California (Southern) and Nevada (Southern): Ronnie Smith, East County

Area Volunteers of the Year:

Eastern Region:

• Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York (Lower) and Rhode Island: Louis Fico, Westchester County
• Delaware and Pennsylvania (Eastern): Robert Sproesser, Berks County
• Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York (Northern): Stephen Jeffrey, Northeast Kingdom
• Maryland and New Jersey: Anthony and Pilar Colandro, Essex County
• New York (Upper): Thomas Colavito, Putnam County
• North Carolina (Eastern): Beecher “Gus” Gray, Chapel Hill
• Pennsylvania (Western): Lew and Mary Ann Cramer, Somerset County
• Virginia (Eastern) and Washington, D.C.: David Clark, Danville/Pittsylvania
• Virginia (Western) and West Virginia: J. Steve Dibetta, Blennerhassett

Central Region:

• Illinois (Northern): Robert and Patricia Feuerborn, Fox Valley Area
• Illinois (Southern): Lyle Kruger, National Trail
• Indiana: Jason Franklin, Falls of the Ohio
• Michigan: Anthony “Tony” Costa, Oakland-Macomb
• Missouri: Gant Mitch, State Fair Area
• Ohio (Northern): Todd Figard, North East Ohio
• Ohio (Southern): Paul Long, Mid Ohio Valley
• Tennessee: Eddie Wilson, Memphis
• Wisconsin: John Perez, Racine/Kenosha Area

Mid West Region:

• Colorado: Rich Wyatt, Colorado State
• Iowa and Nebraska: Ray Hunt, Mid Nebraska
• Kansas: Marion Schumacher, Northwest Kansas
• Minnesota: Adam Ballard, Central Minnesota
• Montana: David and Marilyn Eider, Tobacco Valley
• New Mexico: Steve Jones, Estancia Valley
• Oklahoma: Travis Mann, Northwest Oklahoma
• Wyoming: Brent and Tracy Wilkes, Great Divide

Southern Region:

• Alabama: Eric Davidson, Mobile Co.
• Arkansas and Mississippi (Northern): Don Hill, Capital City
• Florida (Northern): Greg Williams, Panama City
• Florida (Southern): Charlie Amaral, West Pasco County
• Georgia: Martin Fox, Sumter Area
• Louisiana and Mississippi (Southern): Dan Calvert, Pelican State
• South Carolina: Beverly Bedenbaugh, Saluda County
• Texas (Northern): Tony Randall, Pineywoods
• Texas (Southern): John Griffin, Houston Metro

Western Region:

• Alaska: Rick Swenson, Homer
• Arizona: T’Hallalisa Jackson, Zane Grey
• California (Central): Barry Bauer, Fresno County
• California (North Eastern) and Nevada (Western): John Madden, Modesto and Reno/Sparks
• California (North Western): Lila Biggs, Lake
• Hawaii and Oregon: Dawn Horn, Hawaii
• Washington (Western): Dutch Jacoby, Skagit County

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Smith & Wesson Sponsors 2011 Friends of NRA

Friends of NRA

FAIRFAX, Va. --(Ammoland.com)- The NRA Foundation is pleased to announce Smith & Wesson as a major sponsor for their Friends of NRA television show as well as their banquets for 2011.

The television show, airing Sunday nights at 10:30 Eastern Time on the Outdoor Channel, follows former MLB player Matt Duff and professional shooter Jessie Abbate as they explore Friends of NRA grassroots fund-raising programs across the United States.

Their journey encompasses the entire shooting world as Matt and Jessie travel to NRA events and meet the people who truly consider themselves friends of the NRA.

“The NRA Foundation gladly welcomes Smith & Wesson as a sponsor for the Friends of NRA,” said Kyle Weaver, Managing Director of NRA’s Field Operations Division. “Through their support, we will be able to allocate greater funds to shooting sports programs on the national and local levels.”

As a Sharpshooter Sponsor of the Friends of NRA television show, Smith & Wesson becomes the exclusive pistol sponsor for the show. And at the Friends of NRA banquets, Smith & Wesson’s Defender sponsorship level helps improve the grassroots support The NRA Foundation is able to provide shooting sports programs across the country.

“Smith & Wesson pistols are some of the most popular in the world and are frequently used for competition shooting, self defense and in service with both military and law enforcement,” said Paul Pluff, Director of Marketing at Smith & Wesson. “Through assisting in the sponsorship of Friends of NRA, we are proud to help Americans continue practicing their 2nd Amendment rights.”

Smith & Wesson Corporation, headquartered in Springfield, Massachusetts, is the largest manufacturer of handguns in the United States. Founded in 1852, Smith & Wesson produces some of the most popular firearms in the world that are applied for safety, security, protection and sporting purposes by organizations and individuals everywhere. For more about Smith & Wesson, visit their website at http://www.smith-wesson.com/.

Friends of NRA raises money and fosters community involvement for shooting programs across the country. One hundred percent of the net proceeds raised at Friends of NRA events go to qualified local, state, and national programs. Thousands of volunteers nationwide participate in the program by organizing committees and planning events in their communities. Since its creation, more than 12,000 events have been held, reaching over two million attendees. Learn about Friends of NRA on their website at www.friendsofnra.org and their television show at http://www.friendsofnra.tv.

For sponsorship inquiries contact Event Services Manager Jeremy Greene at (703) 267-1354 or jgreene@nrahq.org.

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