My thanks go out to Terry and the TradGang for supporting the Traditional archery community and allowing this post.
Over the past several years, a group of people have made rattan kid's bows at Cloverdale and other gatherings. This was the brainchild of Dean Torges. We skipped last year at Cloverdale for several reasons but one of them was because the effort and cost required became concentrated on too few people. I want to change that and I need your help.
***DONATION GOAL HAS BEEN MET*** First off, I need supplies and for this I need(ed) funds. Thank you to everyone for your generosity in sponsoring this program. I am astounded by the good will of everyone. I have more than met my donation goal so I don't need any more money right now. Thanks again!!!
My plan is to make about 40 bows. If I get 40 sponsors, there will likely be money left over. I'll simply roll that over to next year's or maybe other gathering's supplies. I will provide an accounting to anyone who is interested. I get requests throughout the year for bows too so I will use any excess funds for those.
Each sponsor will get recognition of their choice on a poster or sign (anyone know a signmaker?) I will put up at Cloverdale. A neat idea would be to do this in recognition/memory of the person who gave you your start in archery or hunting.
***I have canopies!*** Second, I need(ed) two 10'x10' (or one 10'x20') E-Z Up style pop-up canopies for about 6 hours on Saturday morning (June 13th). Let me know if you can help with this.
Third, I need some labor.
Before the shoot:
I plan to have about half of the bows done before the shoot. If you live in the Indianapolis area, I would love to have some help getting this done. We can work out schedules.
Arrows: I need 120 1/4" arrows. 3 fletch with field points. 24" long is fine. A well-selected 48" dowel works fine for 2 arrows. I can supply you with the pieces parts but I'd prefer to reimburse you for the cost. If necessary, I can order them and have them shipped to you. If you aren't going to the shoot, you'll need to ship finished arrows to me. Of course, we save money if you come to the shoot. It's worth it just for the meat fest on Saturday night so please consider that.
The Saturday morning of the shoot:
From 9:00 - 12:00 I need about 10 people to help with setup, laying out the bows, making strings and tillering the bows, etc.
I need a couple younger people to decorate and add handle wraps/arrow rests. Creative teenagers are good at organizing a couple kids for this.
I need a couple people to pass out bows and then a someone or two to help the kids with shooting the bows. We will have a foam board with balloons.
No prior experience is necessary for any of these tasks. If you've ever tillered a bow, that is helpful for that task. I will have a training session (such as it is) before we start.
At 10:00 I want to do a fairly quick but thorough demo of the bowmaking process. My goal is to inspire folks to do this in their communities. I will pass out Dean's article on the process afterwards. We will then make 20 or so bows. I plan to be done in a couple hours and cleaned up by 1:00.
Please contact me at j.scifres@sbcglobal.net if you can help
Sincerely,
John Scifres
Set-up a PayPal account for the bow donations John and I can just about guarantee you the $400 you need for materials. :thumbsup:
Thanks David. I am doing this.
e-mail on the way
Let me know when you get the account set up and I will sponsor 10 bows. I may also be able to give you a hand at compton as I plan on attending for my first time. Send me a reply or call 231 206 2446. Don
I'll sponsor 5 bows.... PM me when you're setup with pay pal.
melamos_4@msn.com
Mel
I'll sponsor one. Sounds like a great thing you're doing here :clapper:
I will be there and I have a 10 x 10 canopy you can use. I will also help build bows if you want. Let me know what you need for tools/sanders too. My wife can watch my vendor booth during that time. Chad
John, I will be there also, need strings or help let me know ! Steve
John, I'll be there to help anyway I can.
I'm trying to convince my brother and nephew to go this year... they're just outside of Indy. My nephew started shooting recently (one of those ugly solid fiberglass things that kick like a mule!)
Count me in to sponsor one.
If you'd like, I can see how many simple kid's quivers or armguards I can make by June.
John sent you a PM
Wow. I am stunned by the support. Thank you all.
I will get back to everyone in a little bit.
I am setting up the PayPal Donation account. I'll post a link as soon as I get a chance to finalize it. Thanks again David!
Chad, that's great! You can be the tillerer unless Dean shows up and demotes you. You all realize he's the big dog. I'm just his whipped pup :)
Dano, sweet. It'll be great to have you there.
Jeremy, we've never done quivers but that is a great idea. They don't have to be anything fancy. Armguards are much appreciated too.
I have added the option of donating directly to this using PayPal. You can click the link below and donate whatver you'd like. Thanks.
DONATE NOW (https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=SywTjKhm_EjQY2cSrN41jKIMjIF9h2DGph3mvG6ucuGVG3iQbLtj9nbaZCa&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f998ca054efbdf2c25fe4a05bcb33bff6aad6e850552f81af)
My PayPal Account is j.scifres@sbcglobal.net if you already are setup with them.
Thanks again to all of you! I am amazed and humbled.
John, I just sponsored 2 bows for the kids.
Hope to see you someday at one of your hunts again.
Roland
I'll sponsor 5 bows. Can you send me your info so I can mail you the money. Great work !!! Bhill
Roland,
It worked! That was my first donation on PayPal. Thank you so much.
John
John, if the armguards are going to be of more use, I'll just concentrate on those. I should be able to knock out a bunch if I can convince my wife to help out.
Jeremy,
Yes, that sounds like a good idea. Thanks again.
John
If my shoulder doesn't get any better, you guys will have to make me a kids bow to use for this year. This shoulder surgery is a long, slow road to recovery.
Thanks to all of those who have agreed to help. I use to know how many hundreds of bows we gave a way here, but I have lost count a few years ago.
I don't forget the look on the kid's faces though.
Good work John.
P.J.
In case you all have not read this, here is Dean's article on the kids bows: Building Rattan Kids Bows - by Dean Torges (http://www.bowyersedge.com/kidsbows.html)
I have been remiss in thanking PJ and the Deer Creek Archers of the Cloverdale Conservation Club and all those who participated in the foundation of this enterprise. Without the shoot, the space, and the electricity it simply would not happen. And without all the volunteers who have done this over the years, particularly Tom Leemans who has hauled the tools untold miles, this would never had been continued.
Peace.
I'll just do what you tell me and keep my mouth shut. Chad
John, it will be sweet to be there, The look on all those kids faces is what it's all about.
for some reason clicking on the link for paypal gets me a promp that the transaction cant go through. Do you have another way I can send money.
I'm new to PayPal but it has worked for a couple people. If you create an account, you can donate directly to my account j.scifres@sbcglobal.net
Or if you want, you can send a donation to:
John Scifres
8204 S. Delaware St.
Indianapolis, IN 46227
Thank you so much. You are all so amazing...really.
Dan,
I'm gonna quote Dean's article:
QuoteThose of us who do this are fond of saying how much enjoyment we receive from small faces lit up with excitement. Not so much for me. It's really rather easy to make children smile. Though I enjoy passing out bows and arrows to them because of what it means to our sport, the real thrill for me is seeing adult faces light up and knowing the satisfaction parents, spectators and participants feel at the end of the day.
I don't worry about kids too much. It's the adults who concern me — harried and besieged from too many directions. Watching a few step aside, spend their own time and money, and give effort to promote a legacy among children they don't even know gives us reason to be optimistic. That should make us all smile.
Making the kids bows has always been the highlight of Cloverdale (and my year in many ways) for me. I missed it terribly last year. Thanks you all for helping me to bring it back.
John
Thanks go out to everyone who has donated treasure and time, not to mention talents. I already have most of what I need. I'm going to order supplies and get busy building. Thanks again!
:thumbsup: :clapper:
Sweet!!
Thank you John!!
Wish I could be there. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
John, I am surprised that you were surprised at the response!
But on the other hand I catch myself shaking my head in disbelief at how kind people can be. We don't see enough of it on a day to day basis except in a few choice places, like Tradgang. Then there are the folks that fly under the radar that you don't even know about. It is amazing!
Bona
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John, I'll send you some arrows.