02/19/2010
Swanton's Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF Chapter Wins National Award
NASHVILLE, Tenn.— The National Wild Turkey Federation's Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF outreach program is full of selfless volunteers who spend their time ensuring that outdoor activities like hunting, fishing and shooting are available to people with disabilities.
 Volunteers with the National Wild Turkey Federation's Maumee Valley Chapter and Steve Arnold from the Toledo Express Airport accepted the Best Hunting Event Award honoring the chapter's outstanding Wheelin' Sportsmen hunt for sportsmen with disabilities. Click image for print quality version |
For going the extra mile to provide access to the great outdoors for anyone, the NWTF's Maumee Valley Chapter, headquartered in Whitehouse, Ohio, was honored today with the Best Hunting Event Award at the Federation's 34th annual National Convention and Sport Show. The convention, sponsored by MidwayUSA, is taking place until Feb. 21 in Nashville.
"Winning this award is a huge success for all the volunteers involved with this event," said Brad Christensen, Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF chairman for the Maumee Valley Chapter.
"Partnering with the Maumee Valley Chapter to bring this special and beneficial hunt to sportsmen was our pleasure, and seeing the participants smiles after the hunt was priceless," added Steve Arnold, director of the Toledo Express Airport.
Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF ensures that people with disabilities are afforded the opportunity to spend time outdoors and form valuable friendships along the way. In 2009, Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF hosted 378 events nationwide that helped more than 8,000 participants enjoy a day of fun in the outdoors.
"Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF emphasizes all the abilities that our members possess, not their disabilities," said Illana Burkhart, Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF program coordinator. "The Maumee Valley Chapter has taken the lead in their area for helping outdoor enthusiasts with disabilities enjoy being outside."
Through dynamic partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, spending more than $306 million to conserve 14 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.
The Federation works to increase interest in the outdoors by bringing new hunters and conservationists into the fold through outdoor education events and its outreach programs - Women in the Outdoors, Wheelin' Sportsmen, JAKES and Xtreme JAKES.
2010 Convention Sponsors: Affinity4, ATK/Federal Premium Ammunition, Bank of America, Bass Pro Shops, Benelli, Browning, Call Makers and Collectors Association of America, CamoFX, Chevrolet, Farm Service Agency, Foxy Huntress, Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, HuntVe, Knight Rifles, Leupold & Stevens, Marlin Firearms Company, MeadWestvaco, MidwayUSA, Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, National Band & Tag Co., O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc., Mossy Oak and The Pursuit Channel, The Outdoor Connection, Remington Arms Company, Inc., SHE Outdoor Apparel, TriStar Sporting Arms, USDA Forest Service, Weatherby, Inc., Wild Turkey Bourbon, Winchester Division/Olin Corp.
