Youth Outdoors Unlimited will hold fundraiser banquet March 7

MOSES LAKE — Five successful young hunters will be presented their trophies at the annual Youth Outdoors Unlimited banquet, scheduled for March 7 at the Best Western Lake Front Inn, 3000 West Marina Drive, Moses Lake.

The banquet is a fundraiser for the non-profit organization, based in Moses Lake, which provides hunting and fishing trips for children and teens who have life-threatening or debilitating illness or physical handicaps. It has been providing hunting and fishing trips for kids for nine years.

“This organization was started in Moses Lake,” wrote co-founder Cindy Carpenter. “We are helping so many great and deserving kids each year because of the generous support of those in the Columbia Basin.”

Most of the kids who go hunting and fishing are from the Pacific Northwest, but they also have come from Texas, Utah, Montana and Missouri.

Sometimes a hunting or fishing trip is successful, sometimes it’s not. The kids who are successful get stuffed and mounted trophies, which are presented to kids at YOU events around the state.

The kids have the choice of a hunting or fishing trip, and in 2019 all 17 kids chose a hunting trip, Carpenter said. Organizers are planning to put together trips for 20 to 25 kids in 2020, Carpenter said.

The trips are free to kids and their families. Additional donations allow YOU to offer trips to more kids, she said. To date, YOU has never been forced to deny a trip due to finances, Carpenter said. “We’ve never been limited. We’ve been super-blessed.”

Hunting and fishing trips are tailored for each kid. There’s a tracked wheelchair for youths who are paralyzed, and an elaborate gun stand that allows a hunter with limited use of arms or hands to shoot a gun.

Landowners donate the use of their property. Guides donate their services. Outfitters donate equipment. If a kid gets an animal or catches a fish, professionals donate the meat processing. Taxidermists donate their time to mount the trophy.

Because fishing and hunting come with no guarantees, every family gets the entire outdoor experience. Kids get to go camping, go out on the boat if they’re fishing, drive the back roads if they’re hunting, and wait in a blind. Sometimes the outings include camping and campfires, and there’s always camp food. Organizers take into account all dietary needs. Kids go shopping before they go hunting or fishing, to ensure they’ve got the proper equipment.

Carpenter said the most rewarding part is getting to know the kids, who meet their challenges with courage and confidence. “It’s just incredible, how much confidence these kids have,” she said. No matter their circumstances the kids enjoy life, she said. “It’s mind-boggling to me.”

Organizer Cindy Carpenter said there are still tickets available. “We sold out last year, which is a cool thing,” she said. The crowd was so big the organizers ran out of chairs.

The action starts at 4:30 p.m., with dinner served from 5 to 6:30 p.m. and the program starting at 7 p.m. There’s a silent auction before dinner and a live auction after the program.

Tickets are still available and can be found at the YOU website, www.youthoutdoorsu.org.

Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].