As you are well aware, we are in difficult and unprecedented times as the Coronavirus, or COVID-19, takes its toll on our welfare and our liberties. But as our nation and our individual communities come together to resist the effects of this pandemic, I wanted to reach out to our youth athletes, parents, coaches, volunteers, partners, donors, sponsors, benefactors, and supporters to update you on MidwayUSA Foundation actions.

Throughout the month of March we have been closely monitoring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for updates and recommendations, as well as for local health advisories, and have been ahead of all recommendations to curtail the spread of this virus. Beyond social distancing, group restrictions, and strict hygiene procedures, we have ceased all travel, including for our Program Managers, until further notice. We have restricted visitors from our offices here in Columbia, MO. And all Foundation staff are working from home until the “all clear” is given by competent authority.

We do not take these restrictive actions lightly, but we recognize that your health and safety and that of our team are paramount. In spite of these restrictions, we are committed to serving our youth shooting teams and will remain open for business. While all members of our team are working from home, we are still committed and available to assist you via email or phone. If you should call, your call will be forwarded to voicemail. Simply leave a message and someone will return your call.

Also note we are working to make the upcoming semi-annual grant process much easier and safer by eliminating all paper and document handling for the requestor, thereby helping to reduce opportunities for virus transfer. Effective for our June 2020 grant cycle, all grant submissions will be online. We are implementing a new automated grant system that will allow the requestor to log into the system from home, provide the requested information, and send the request electronically. We processed over 1,500 hard-copy grant applications totaling over $5.3M in 2019 and this number grows every year, challenging our available resources. So automating the system will eliminate potential contagion transfer, improve the requestor experience, and reduce processing time for our team. We will open the new automated system for grant request submissions for the June 2020 grant cycle around mid-April. Look for more information on this soon.

Our Foundation’s purpose is to expand, enhance, and perpetuate youth shooting sports activities to help young people improve their confidence, discipline, and leadership skills through shooting sports education – in other words, to help young people develop character through youth shooting sports. But in an environment where competitions are canceled, ranges are silent, and everyone is house-bound, our young athletes can lose focus and motivation. Therefore, it is incumbent upon all of us to keep them engaged and excited about the sport they love, while still allowing them to support their team and feed their hunger for competition. Fundraising can fuel that competitive spirit and keep them occupied, motivated, and engaged. We know it can be challenging to navigate fundraising activities in a time like this and we are here to help. The Foundation offers the following online fundraising solutions:

Call our team! We would be happy to talk you through how to pursue any of these options and make fundraising easy. We’re here to help. Details on the above programs, and much more, are available on our website. Hopefully our youth athletes engaged in these activities will feel connected to their team, will be occupied while at home, and will help fund their team’s future.

We are doing everything we know to do to support our teams and athletes through these difficult times. But is there something more we can do?

This crisis has disrupted the way we play, work, learn, and worship. But in spite of the challenges this pandemic has put in front of us, our country has rallied around one another, offering support, kindness, and charity to all within our communities. This is the way Americans handle adversity. I am proud of our staff here at the Foundation, and I am proud of you – the volunteers, coaches, parents, donors, and others that care about our youth and give of your money and your time to develop their character and create remarkable young adults. Though we can’t be on the range, together we are still changing the future of youth shooting sports.

Stay safe, and God bless.