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Skeet tournament raises funds for classrooms
The parking lot at Hog Heaven Sporting Club was full of big pickup trucks, and a fleet of golf carts and mules surrounded the patio where lunch was being served. A crowd of people, mostly men, talked around their tables while waiting to hear the results of the morning’s skeet shooting round. But these participants weren’t there just for the thrill of hitting fast-flying clay targets. They entered the tournament for a cause that hit closer to home: supporting Dripping Springs schools.
“This is our fourth year to do the skeet shoot for the Education Foundation,” event chairperson Brent Howell said. “Last year we brought in a little over $110,000 for the foundation. Our goal is to do a little bit more this year.”
Howell has served on the board of the Dripping Springs Education Foundation (DSEF) since 2018. He said this event, called Clays for Classrooms, is one of three major fundraisers that the organization does each year to support local teachers and students. Most of the competitors are from the area, and many of them have students in the schools.
“It's a fun little deal,” Howell said. “People look forward to this all year.”
The competition is organized into teams of four, and there is an entry fee of $1,000 for each team. This year, 48 teams signed up. They could register for either the morning flight or the afternoon flight.
“The teams go out and there's 15 different stations they shoot at,” Howell said. “Each station is set up at a different location, and every station has its own unique flight pattern of clay pigeons.”
Teams can bring their own golf carts or mules, or use one provided by the club. At each station, the launchers throw two clay pigeons at a time - usually staggered.
“But in some stations, they throw it at the same time, so you've gotta shoot one and then shoot the other real quick. So it's very challenging for a lot of people,” Howell said.
There is a winning shooter and a winning team for the morning flight and for the afternoon flight.
“We're trying to raise as much money as we can, and the money all goes back into the school district 100% percent,” Howell said. “That's really the whole reason why everybody's out here. You know, they enjoy shooting, but I think everybody understands that we have to have events like this to be able to sponsor teachers and students beyond what they can do on their own.”
Amy Embrey, DSEF Assistant Director, said the foundation exists as a fundraising arm for the school district.
“Our job, embedded within our mission, is to support the school district and basically help fill holes in the budget that the state isn't already funding,” Embrey said.
Over the past three years, DSEF has been supporting mental wellness in the district by funding three licensed mental health professionals for students - at elementary, middle school and high school levels - as well as one for staff.
DSEF also funds student leadership grants and innovative teaching grants. Students can apply for grant funding to support something creative or innovative that serves their campus or their community. Teachers can apply for things they would like to have for their classroom or their campus that is not in the budget otherwise.
“That allows them to think outside the box and to bring something special to their campus or their classroom that might otherwise not be possible, just because the budgets are tight,” Embry said.
Tedi Wells, DSEF Board President, said the board is working to increase engagement with the community and to bring in more supporters and volunteers.
“We want to become known in the community more than what we are right now. We're over 30 years in place,” Wells said. “We are growing and learning and looking at changing some things to make sure that we can continue to be a force for good in the community itself.”
One way they’ve been doing that is with a push to recruit new board members.
“We really made a concerted effort to go out into the community and look at what I would call, as a retired person, some younger members,” Wells said. “So we've gotten some board members who are now in their 30s, early 40s. They're bringing a new energy with them, some new ideas.”
In addition to volunteering for the board, people can also volunteer for a variety of events, both big and small. Those who can’t spare the time can donate instead, if they are interested in supporting the organization.
“What we really love to do is support our students and teachers year round, and we do that through our friends and family monthly giving campaign,” Executive Director Lindsey Herring said.
Herring said that people can participate in the program by choosing to donate as little as $5 per month.
“That just helps to keep the appreciation going year round, but also allows our families to participate in that way,” Herring said.
For more information on getting involved with DSEF, visit www.dseducationfoundation. org.
