By Corey Poole
The First United Methodist Men will host a “Pull” Together Sporting Clay Tournament to benefit the Empower Nepali Girls Foundation Saturday, June 18 at the shooting Range on Tauzin Island Road.
Registration will begin at 8 a.m. with target shooting at 9 a.m. Forms are available at the First United Methodist Church office or the range, but teams are allowed to register the day of the event.
Last year the event raised $11,000 for scholarships for the girls sponsored through the Foundation. This year’s proceeds will go toward the Foundation’s Safe Learning Space Program. This program will provide learning materials for schools in the Everest region of Nepal.
The program funds the installation of libraries, science labs and early childhood development centers in 19 schools that have Foundation sponsored girls in attendance. Materials include educational posters, microscopes, computers and more.
Patrice Mouton returned from a 3-month trip to Nepal May 13. She will return next spring.
After several catastrophic quakes hit the region, the girls are starting to recover. One of the school locations was decimated in a quake a year ago. Two cousins who live near the village of Ghat gave a portion of their farmland for the construction of a new school in a safer location.
Moulton experienced four quakes while she was in the area, all measuring around 5 points on the Richter scale. She had to evacuate where she was staying twice in the middle of the night because of them.
While there’s a lot of healing happening in some areas, Moulton says others are still devastated. Working with girls from the lowest cast system in Nepal, she says they are so resilient given how hard life is. “They just keep standing,” she said.
Moulton developed individualized plans for the 19 schools where the 300 girls the Foundation sponsors attend. She was able to finish 7 of the 19 schools before she left. Some are still waiting on a site to build the room before it can be filled with supplies.
Her son Bryce created a “16 for 16” event on Facebook for his birthday asking his friends to donate $16 instead of giving him gifts. With donations from across the U.S. and as far as Africa and Australia, he was able to fund seven science labs, which cost $500 each to set up. Each science lab services students in grades K-12.
Following suit, the Methodist Men, who have received national recognition through the Methodist Men’s Ministries organization, made the Sporting Clay Tournament their premiere event.
Wanting to hold it around Father’s Day to foster the connection of fathers and sons through the generations, the event is open to all levels and abilities of shooters.
Moulton’s husband Michael said that the Methodist Men saw the work the Foundation was doing and realized they had a passion to contribute to the cause. Hosting the event for the third year in a row, Michael said, “It’s amazing that men in this country and effectively improve the quality of life for these young girls.” Causey said the tournament is a church-wide event.
Adding a unique cultural aspect to the event, the awards will be original handmade Gorkhas knives, which Moulton brought back from Nepal. Probably the most renowned fighting knife in the world is the kukri, the wickedly curved knife of the Gurkhas warriors of Nepal.
Competition/Event Details:
• Team and Individual Competitions
• Awards- Team HOA, Individual Youth and Adult HOA, Second, Third and others to be
announced
• Lunch, cooked by members of the Methodist Men, will be provided for participants.
Plates are $10 for non-shooters.
• Shooters must provide their own ammunition (33/4 inch – 7.5 ounce, 8 ounce and 9 ounce
size only: No heavy lead or steel shot).
• All shooters must wear eye and ear protection.
• Trail is a walking course. Golf carts and side-by-sides allowed (No 4-wheelers).
• Shooters under 17 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
• 4 person teams: 12 stations/100 targets
• Homemade cakes will be sold by the Methodist Women Group.
• Silent Auction
Registration Options:
• Four person team- $400
• Individual Registration- $125
• Dynamic Duo (father and child pair)- $200
• Mulligans- $20
• Warm ups- $10
For more information contact Patrice Moulton at 663-7900 or Nolton Causey at 352-6182.