As the organizer for our August 17th. Missouri Disabled Sportsmen, 3rd Annual “Making it Possible” Fish Fry and Fundraiser at the Bloomsdale Knights of Columbus Hall, I would like to offer a huge “THANK YOU” to all of our amazing sponsors, volunteers, supporters, and the entire community at large for the outpouring of support and love they showed us this past Saturday!
“Making It Possible” isn’t just a tagline we use to market this fundraising event, it truly embodies what we do. Missouri Disabled Sportsmen is a 100 percent volunteer 501c3 organization and Saturday was another shining example of what our group of volunteers and supporters can accomplish!
We were overwhelmed with support from the surrounding communities and it resulted in our largest fundraiser to date. The funds generated will literally change many lives for the better and be used to provide hundreds of outdoor experiences in the coming year and also help assist in purchasing additional adaptive equipment to make what we do possible for the constituents we serve.
We had approximately 300 UTVs and Jeeps participating in our first ever UTV/Jeep Poker run with 660 entries. Approximately 500 fish fry dinners were served. We owe a huge thank you to Chef Ken Vierra, his wife Michelle and the dozens of selfless volunteers that worked their tails off helping prepare and serve the food, register attendees, take care of the silent and live auction (thanks Okie), the raffles, the poker run and the set up and cleanup.
Thanks also to The Bloomsdale Scout Troop 410 with their flag presentation that started our Ceremony and Tribute to Veterans, Grace Lipp for her amazing rendition of our National Anthem and to guest speaker Dustin Bishop for an awesome speech that touched on the many sacrifices and hardships our Armed Service members and their families deal with as as part of their service. Special thanks also goes out to all the wonderful musicians who donated their time and talent for the entertainment.
Kickin Kountry and “Friends” did an outstanding job!
I should mention a long, long list of volunteers, friends and family to thank but I’d be afraid of missing someone so I’ll just say you all know who you are and are all very much appreciated! If I were to make such a list, my wonderful wife Becky would be at the top for her advice, help, patience and support of my hectic but rewarding weeks leading up to this annual event.
And finally, thank you to the Bloomsdale Knights of Columbus Council 1848 for their wonderful facility and grounds.
Please check out Missouri Disabled Sportsmen on Facebook to see our upcoming event opportunities and the many smiles on the photos posted after the events are held. If you would like to become a volunteer, or know of someone who could benefit from our services, please reach out to us on Facebook or text or call Jeff at 660-346-7476.
Thank You from the bottom of our hearts to everyone that attended or supported our “Making it Possible” event.
Jeff Roth (Ozora)
Vice President
Missouri Disabled Sportsmen Board of Directors