MINNEAPOLIS - The Easton Sports Development Foundation (ESDF) presented the Archery Trade Association (ATA) with a check for $200,000 to support the group's efforts to grow archery and bowhunting through the Community Archery Program.
The $200,000 gift was presented at the ATA's board of directors meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
"We understand the importance of not only introducing our sport to others, but also expanding participation opportunities for archery," said Greg Easton, a director of the Easton Foundations and president of Easton Technical Products, Inc. Mr. Easton also serves on the ATA Board as vice chair."The ATA has been effective in developing community-based programs to grow archery and the support from the Easton Foundation will help to expand these efforts."
The goal of ESDF is to promote the sport of archery and develop Olympic hopefuls at a grassroots level and continue these efforts through college and university programs. The organization is also a catalyst in the development of archery as a mainstream sport and promotes growth at the state, regional and national level.
"Through generous funding from groups like the Easton Sports Development Foundation, we believe we can build archery shooting facilities and archery programs that are very much a part of communities around the country," said Michelle Doerr, the ATA's director of archery and bowhunting programs.
Thanks in part to the ATA's concept of Community Archery Programs (CAP) and support from groups like ESDF, the ATA expects archery facilities to open in East Lansing, Mich. and Juneau, Alaska this summer. In both areas, the ATA has also worked with state agencies to fund and initiate introductory archery programs in the immediate area around the facilities. These on-the-ground archery success stories will showcase how archery can be incorporated into all aspects of the community - schools, recreation programs and facilities. Then, through strong partnerships, resources are combined in collaborative efforts.
The Community Archery Program promotes NASP as a key introduction to archery in schools, works to make archery available in local community recreation programs and funds the shooting facilities all archers need to participate in shooting year round. Since 2004, the ATA has provided funding totaling approximately $884,000- including grants provided through CAP - to initiate the National Archery in the Schools program in the United States, Canada and Australia. It has also contributed nearly $960,000 in Community Archery Program grants, equipment and direct aid to state wildlife agencies to grow archery and expand bowhunting opportunities.
For more information about the ATA's efforts to grow archery and bowhunting, please contact Michelle Doerr at michelledoerr@archerytrade.org or call (320) 562-2680.
About CAP: The Community Archery Program (CAP), developed in 2005, was designed by the ATA as a four-pronged approach to grow archery and bowhunting participation. The ATA provides funds, expertise, equipment and targets to support state wildlife agencies to lead the CAP initiative and for local communities to develop and manage archery parks and school and after school programs. CAP promotes NASP as a key introduction to archery, works to make the sport available through the After School Archery Program (ASAP) in local community recreation programs and funds the development of shooting facilities all archers need to participate in shooting year round. The fourth leg of the initiative is a supporting role provided by local archery shops, clubs and organizations..
About the ATA: Since 1953, ATA has been the trade association for manufacturers, retailers, distributors, sales representatives and others working in the archery and bowhunting industry. ATA is dedicated to making the archery and bowhunting industry profitable by decreasing business overhead, reducing taxes and government regulation and by increasing participation in archery and bowhunting. ATA owns and manages the ATA Trade Show, the archery and bowhunting industry's longest running and largest trade show worldwide.
No comments:
Post a Comment