MidwayUSA Foundation encourages donations to youth shooting program endowments—which it manages to assist these teams with critical expenses—on Giving Tuesday annually. On that day in 2024, the total came in at $566,205, making it the most successful Giving Tuesday fundraising campaign in the organization’s history. Thanks to the generosity of Larry and Brenda Potterfield, donations are matched, raising more than one million dollars for youth shooting sports.
The donations benefited youth shooting teams and organizations. Teams alone raised $453,424 and top earners won additional endowment dollars. Plus, the Foundation awarded random-draw prizes to participating teams, giving $80,000 through its Giving Tuesday incentive.
The full list of winners is found on the foundation’s website. The top five teams cumulatively raised more than $201,000, including the Mid Carolina Youth Shooting Team ($53,650), Georgia Competitive Shooters ($45,000), Gaston Young Guns High School Shooting Team ($40,000), Taunton Marksmanship Unit ($37,456) and Doddridge County 4-H Hot Shots Shooting Sports ($25,000).
Youth shooting programs rely on their annual MidwayUSA Foundation grant to cover critical expenses that many youth shooting athletes incur when competing. Roy McClain, president of the Georgia Competitive Shooters and founder of Georgia Youth Shooting Sports Foundation explained the importance of their MidwayUSA Foundation endowment. “When kids walk through the door, the only thing they have to have is desire,” he said. “Thanks to the Foundation, we can provide ammo and targets, assist with travel expenses, provide quality coaching and take care of other administrative needs.”
The Georgia Competitive Shooters program won $12,500 by taking second place in the Giving Tuesday team incentive. In addition, Roy was drawn and won the Gold Series Early Italian Renaissance Collection, a remarkable set of 1911 pistols with consecutive serial numbers donated by SK Guns to support MidwayUSA Foundation and youth shooting sports.