Missouri Disabled Sportsmen’s third annual “Making It Possible” Benefit Fish Fry and Music Fundraiser will be held Saturday, Aug. 17, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomsdale. The meal will be served from 2 to 6 p.m.
Along with the meal, the event will feature a silent auction, a live auction, raffles, games, attendance prizes, guns for auction and raffle, and a special tribute ceremony to veterans. Live acoustic music will be performed from 2 to 6 p.m., and a live band will play from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m.
“As we continue to grow our organization and the events we offer, we also need to grow our fundraising efforts to fund them,” said Jeff Roth, vice president of the Missouri Disabled Sportsmen Board of Directors. “In 2022, we held our first fish fry and music fundraising event. It was a huge success, with an estimated 1,000 people in attendance.
“In 2023, we had another great fundraiser with great results and attendance. This year, for our third annual Fish Fry and Music Fundraiser, we have stepped things up a notch. We are including a very popular and fun Jeep and UTV Poker Run to our fish fry and live music event. We will again have a delicious meal, huge silent auction, live auction and many great raffles and games where prizes can be won. We hope to continue to build on our past two years of success and to grow our organization.”
Registration for the Jeep and UTV Poker Run will occur from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Participants return by 4:30 p.m. for the meal and other events and activities. A $15 registration fee includes one fish fry meal ticket. Unlimited extra plays are $5 each. Proof of insurance is required. Motorcycles are welcome. UTVs must have a flag or slow-moving vehicle placard. Participants will travel a scenic route with no dusty gravel roads.
Missouri Disabled Sportsmen is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization made up of a volunteer group of sportsmen and outdoor advocates who come together with the following goals:
– To make the outdoors more accessible to individuals who may be unable to do so due to physical mobility limitations, either through direct or indirect assistance.
– Introducing and promoting the outdoors to the youth, especially those who may not have any other means to experience it. Recruiting the youth of today into the outdoors is imperative for not only Missouri Disabled Sportsmen’s mission, but also the future of hunting, fishing, and wildlife conservation.
– Providing hunting opportunities for terminally ill youth that qualify for an exemption under the Missouri Department of Conservation’s (MDC) code.
“Missouri Disabled Sportsmen provides a wide range of outdoor opportunities, including hunting deer, turkey, upland birds, waterfowl, predators, and small game, as well as numerous fishing and shooting events,” said Roth. “We partner with the MDC on numerous events and are the largest user of their Track Chair Program. The past two years, through a grant and other fundraising efforts, we were able to purchase seven of our own track chairs, as well as enclosed trailers to transport them around the state. While we still use the MDC track chairs, having our own fleet allows us to provide even more opportunities.”
