Friends of NRA Dinner 2022 A Huge Success
Hey Buccaneer Gun Club members,
This past Saturday, August 27, 2022 was the big Friends of NRA Dinner and Auction. For those of you who might be new to the club, former Buccaneer Gun Club President Ray Campbell has worked on behalf of the Friends of NRA Foundation more than 20 years. He also sits on N.C.’s FNRA grant committee and has probably helped raise more money for the shooting sports in southeastern NC than anyone in history.
FNRA began in 1992 as a volunteer fundraising organization that uses 100 percent of the money raised to support local shooting sports. It has awarded grants for things like youth firearms safety, JROTC programs at area high schools, Women On Target training clinics, hunter safety education programs, range improvement projects and law enforcement agencies’ firearms safety programs.
Thanks to Ray and his dedicated team of volunteers, each year the event packs the house at the Wilmington Convention Center, and this year was no different, with a sold out crowd of 500 guests. Ray always says it takes a village, and his volunteers are some of the best in the business. His committee this year had over 20 members who met for 2-3 months before the big night and did everything from menu planning, to putting up posters, getting signs printed, making door prize bags, stapling programs and just about anything else you can imagine.
“As far as I’m concerned, our committee is the best one in the state. The members of Buccaneer and folks in the community really stepped up this year to give us one of our best events ever. The 425 members of Buccaneer Gun Club make this event the success it always is. This year Buccaneer members donated firearms, artworks, jewelry, duck hunting gear, knives and gun cases. Buccaneer members also manned many of the games and help to set up and market the event.
“We give more guns away than any other shooting sports event, with more than 50 awarded as prizes this year. We had 34 Corporate-sponsored tables who got VIP seating at a private table, a chance at a premium bottle of Blue Shark Vodka, and a choice of a firearm. Year after year all of these folks who are Friends of the NRA and who believe in the future of the shooting sports are there to help us, and I can’t thank them enough.” Campbell said.
“Oh yeah, and don’t forget to take a kid shooting.”
