SAYRE, PA – The Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association has announced the 2021 recipients of its Kermit Henning Youth Education Grants.
Nine organizations have received funding for programs designed to get youth outdoors and to teach them about the valuable natural resources available throughout the state.
The education grants honor the memory of Kermit Henning, a life member and past president of POWA. Kermit’s dedication was a driving force behind POWA’s annual Youth Education Grant Fund awards, which have supported youth outdoor educational opportunities throughout the state such as conservation camps, field days, fishing derbies, educational activities in schools, shooting programs and many more for over 35 years.
POWA’s youth grant fund has been funded primarily through the Annual Sportsmen’s Auction held at the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg in February. With the cancellation of the sports show in 2020, however, the organization hosted a Sporting Clays and Wobble Trap Shoot with the help and sponsorship of Martz’s Gap View Hunting Preserve in Dalmatia, Pa., White Flyer Targets and Kline Associates, Ltd. of Harrisburg. The shoot was a great success and allowed the grant funding to continue for 2021. Stay tuned for details of the 2022 shoot!
To date, POWA has raised and distributed over $424,000 to fund youth educational opportunities. With the expected return of the 2022 Great American Outdoor Show, next year’s auction is set for Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022. POWA supporting and individual members, as well as many of the show’s vendors, donate items and services. Donations to the fund are also accepted.
In addition to serving as the state’s only professional organization for writers, photographers, artists, broadcasters and bloggers dedicated to informing Pennsylvanians about the wise use and management of natural resources and outdoor recreation, POWA’s mission includes promotion of outdoor education and increasing awareness and appreciation of our natural resources and outdoor heritage.
To learn more about membership in POWA, visit our website: paoutdoorwriters.com, or contact Executive Director Paula Piatt at ppiatt@paoutdorwriters.com
Recipients of this year’s award include:
Blue Ridge Rifles Muzzleloader Club, Orwigsburg, Pa., $200, for the Youth Shoot at the club’s Memorial Day Rendezvous, allowing the club to waive all fees for youth.
Brandywine Red Clay Alliance, West Chester, Pa., $500, to support its youth programs, including scholarships for students ages 4-15 at its Summer Nature Camps.
Cameron County Outdoor Youth Activities, Emporium, Pa.; $500; to support youth programs such as hunting and fishing clinics, night sky viewing classes and local
Envirothon team support.
Camp Compass, Allentown, Pa., $500, an organization dedicated to introducing urban middle and high school students to various outdoor activities and give them the opportunity to experience and participate in the outdoor lifestyle.
Dauphin County Parks and Recreation, Harrisburg, Pa., $500 for support of Wildwood Park’s summer nature day camps, which provide environmental education to school children.
Jefferson County Youth Field Day, Sigel, Pa., $500, for its annual free event, giving youth the opportunity to have fun and develop new skills by participating in shooting sports, archery, canoeing and other skills stations.
Pennsylvania Wildlife Habitat Unlimited, DuBois, Pa., $500, for its annual Clearfield County Youth Field Day, which draws 150-200 kids ages 7-14 for a day of fishing, shooting, stream activities, boating and canoeing and outdoor safety.
Schuylkill County Sportsmen’s Association Youth Field Day, Pottsville, Pa., $500 for its many programs, including the annual Youth Field Day, which includes free activities for youth, including fishing, canoeing, trap shooting, archery, black-powder shooting, air rifle, forestry, and trapping.
Wildlife Leadership Academy, Lock Haven, Pa., $500; for tuition scholarships to its weeklong summer field schools for high school students. The schools focus on single species, but are used as a springboard to explore ecological concepts and management issues.
Contact: Paula Piatt, Executive Director
570-886-1609, ppiatt@paoutdoorwriters.com