July 19, 2011
Greetings,
“Our greatest fear should not be of failure, but of succeeding at things in life that don’t really matter.” ~Francis Chan
Have you ever noticed that none of us like boredom? We are all searching for something to do. Not just something to do, but something with significance. We all long to have our lives count for something more than simply taking up space. It’s a legacy we look for. Some find that legacy in how they raise their children. Some find it in their job. Many, sadly, never find it.
For those of us who are patriotic and love our country, one of the things we want to preserve is the right to live the way we want to live. We don’t want someone in Washington telling us how to live, how to raise our children, how to eat, or what to do with our time and money. The Bill of Rights is something intensely personal to us. We believe every word, and want every one of them to continue to be enforced.
Although very few of us can recite the 2nd Amendment in its entirety, we all believe in it wholeheartedly. “A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” I recently purchased a T-shirt from the NRA store online that has the 2nd Amendment on the back and it says, “27 words worth fighting for”. I rarely wear it without getting a comment or two about it.
http://www.nrastore.com/nrastore/Products.aspx?c=12
Each of the volunteers believes that those are indeed 27 words worth fighting for. They are thoroughly convinced that when it says, ‘the right of the PEOPLE’, it really means you and me … the people. They work for months to make their banquet a success so they can raise grant money that will be used to allow ‘people’ access to ‘arms’; normal people, young people, women, politicians, veterans, police officers, poor people, rich people, old people, ALL people.
We all work tirelessly at this program to raise money to fund local projects that will teach young people about gun safety, hunting, ethics, responsibility, follow-through, and other life lessons that will hold them in good stead for the rest of their lives.
We fund programs like Y.E.S. that sends high school students to Washington DC to learn about the history of our country without leaving out important aspects of it that are being squelched and hidden away on a daily basis. Those kids come home with a sense of civic duty, a love of their country, a desire to make things better, and the knowledge to engage in intelligent, effective conversation with people of differing view-points. It gives them a sense of significance, and the opportunity to leave their own legacy. It’s a fantastic program.
http://www.friendsofnra.org/National.aspx?cid=90
We fund programs like Eddie Eagle that teaches small children to NOT touch a gun if they see one. Sometimes it is mis-portrayed as a gun safety program for elementary school children. It does indeed teach safety, but only by training to the children that if they see a gun, STOP, DON’T TOUCH, LEAVE THE AREA, and TELL AN ADULT. Those four steps are repeated in the video, coloring books, stickers, a song and dance, and by a giant eagle mascot that they all feel comfortable with immediately. Those children are miles ahead of the ones who see one and don’t have any idea that their curiosity could be deadly. Nobody ever bothered to tell them what to do if they find a firearm. Talk about a program with significance!
http://www.nrahq.org/safety/eddie/
We provide scholarships to send young people between 13 and 17 years old to a two week summer camp experience at the NRA Whittington Center called Adventure Camp. They learn to shoot pistols, rifles, shotguns, muzzleloaders, and archery. They learn to read a compass and maps. They are taught to identify animal tracks. They learn teamwork. They camp out and cook for themselves. Again, the life skills they acquire during this time will prove to be invaluable in their futures. They come home with a sense of the gravity of working together to make things happen. How many young people today don’t learn that until they’ve been fired from half a dozen jobs because they cannot work with others? I want my kids to learn that before they head out into the ‘real world’.
http://www.nrawc.org/adventure/index.html
We work tirelessly to fund programs that teach women to defend themselves. Refuse To Be A Victim is a fantastic crime prevention course. Women on Target teaches ladies to shoot in a low-pressure environment. Women’s Wilderness Escape takes them hunting. Women’s Leadership Forum teaches them to step up and make a difference in their community. Without the Friends of NRA volunteers, these programs would go without funding, and without the ability to continue to impact the lives of women worldwide.
http://www.nrahq.org/women/index.asp
All of these programs and many many more are funded either in part or in whole by the hard work and generosity of our Friends of NRA volunteers. We have all found them to be significant programs that provide direction and meaning in our lives and the lives of those we care about. Each of us who puts on a Friends of NRA Volunteer hat or shirt is leaving a legacy for those who follow after us. If we don’t do it, who will?
Blessings,
~Gwen