Nashville, TN—More than 20 teams comprised of 100 union members, shooting enthusiasts, corporate partners and other guests from across the state attended the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s 1st Annual Illinois Sporting Clays Shoot on August 4 at the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation in Dundee, IL.
Sponsored by the Illinois AFL-CIO,Chicago Federation of Labor and theChicago and Cook County Building Construction Trades Department, the Illinois Shoot raised nearly $50,000 to help support the USA’s conservation mission—making it one of the largest grossing inaugural events in the history of its shooting program.
“Not only did labor come together to raise thousands of dollars to support conservation efforts, but union members from various communities around the state got the chance to connect on a lifestyle level outside of the workplace not only as brothers and sisters but as sportsmen and women,” said Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael T. Carrigan.
For the first time in the history of the three year tour, the USA awarded a youth shooter award to Tony DeJohn from the Ironworkers Local 63/ Great Lakes Advisors team, who busted 74 out of 100 clays. The son of Ironworkers Local 63 executive board member Michael DeJohn, Tony has attended USA shooting events with his father since they originated three years ago.
“We were elated to award Tony with the first-ever USA youth shooter award,” said USA Executive Director Fred Myers. “The support he’s received from his team and everyone at the events is a perfect example of how important mentoring a future generation of sportsmen and women is to the union community and the USA’s mission.”
Jon Chapman from IUOE Local 150 took home top honors for an individual shooter while Heather Gayle from the Illinois North Central Labor Council/Bank of Labor team won the women’s trophy. Gun raffle winners from the event included Dan Baumann from IUEC Local 2, who won a Remington 887 Nitro and Loyd Vaughn from LiUNA Local 75, who won a Smith & Wesson pistol.
The USA’s robust, 25-city sporting clays and trap shoot tour will travel to 17 states in 2012. Raising imperative funding to support the USA’s conservation mission, the national tour also introduces skilled union volunteers to the impact they can make on conservation projects in the communities where they live work and play. For more information or to find out how you can get involved, visithttp://www.unionsportsmen.org/events.
PHOTOS | SCORES | 2012 TOUR SCHEDULE
The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) is a union-dedicated outdoor organization whose members hunt, fish, shoot and volunteer their skills for conservation. The USA is uniting the union community to expand and improve hunting and fishing access and wildlife habitat throughout North America. For more information, visithttp://www.unionsportsmen.org or http://www.facebook.com/unionsportsmen.
For more information, contact:
Laura Bliss Morris
Public Relations Coordinator
615-831-6798
[email protected]
