PHEASANTS FOREVER YOUTH OUTDOOR 2015 A HUGE SUCCESS!
PHEASANTS FOREVER YOUTH OUTDOOR 2015 A HUGE SUCCESS!
Pictured are Anthony Palombo, Hunter Stoots and Austin Pringle participated in the 2015 Pheasants Forever Youth Outdoor Event.
The Pheasants Forever Youth Outdoor Endowment was created to help take local challenged or ill youth on outdoor excursions. Of course, we always find time for pheasant hunting! This year’s event was held again at Queenstown Lodge near East Brady. Numerous PF members and youth were on hand to create a great weekend to remember for these three young men.
You wouldn’t know it to look at him that Anthony Palombo is battling leukemia. Anthony enjoys all outdoor sports and is a very active young man. He’ll get a lot of use of his new camo shotgun. Rumor has that his pheasant mount is already hung on the wall.
Hunter Stoots was given a very appropriate name at birth. This kid doesn’t miss with a shot gun! Hunter has battled synovial cell sarcoma in his knee. Numerous operations were needed to save his leg but his parent’s, Bill and Amy, were determined to find Hunter the best treatment. He now walks without even a limp. And he doesn’t miss with a shotgun! He looked great decker out in his new Pheasants Forever chaps and upland hunting vest.
Austin Pringle participated in the Pheasants Forever Mentored Pheasant Hunt in the fall of 2014 so we knew this boy loved to hunt. Austin’s right hand isn’t as useful as his left but that doesn’t stop him from training his new bird dog. PF provided him with a high-tech e-collar for the pup. Austin had a few fly fishing lessons with his new rod and reel and will be catching big trout by next April.
The weekend was packed with shooting, hunting, UTV rides, geocaching fishing and lots and lot of eating! All the young men were presented with pheasant mounts and scrapbooks that captured the memories of the weekend.
Adam Snow and his Dad, Skip, returned as year’s guests to fry fish for the hungry crew on Friday night. Adam is an avid fisherman and was pleased to shared his catch. Other numerous meals were cooked by Tim and Mary Jo Schneider who were PFYO guests in our very first year with their daughter, Emily. All the past PF Youth Outdoor youth and their families were invited back to share memories for the Saturday night pig roast. It was spectacular and no one went home hungry.
Emily Schneider and Jasmine Carlson, both young PF members, teamed up to create the scrapbooks of memories. Teen Chase Pontious worked his young dog for a bird hunt. A dozen other Pheasant Forever volunteers were on hand to help make the weekend memorable. Of course the real workers are the dogs, although they sure make it look like fun.
Tim Rowan, Youth Chairman, had this to add, ‘I think it’s amazing what we as a group, although small in number, have accomplished so much. My goal starting out was to change the life of just one person and we’ve done that many times over. When I look at how some of the past participants have changed I’m really proud of our group. When it gets right down to it I’ve probably changed more than any participant, these kids and their families are an inspiration to me. I know they look up to us in many ways but feel we should be looking up to them.’
The Pheasants Forever 630 Chapter of North Central PA holds various events all year long to fund this weekend along with the PF Mentored Youth Hunts, veteran hunts and habitat work. Visit our new web site and Facebook pages to learn about our club and events – http://www.northcentralpapf.org/
32 South St Marys Street, Suite 4, P.O. Box 934 – Saint Marys, PA 15857 – Phone: 814-834-2125 – Fax: 814-834-2126 – Email: eccf@windstream.net
