COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado – In 2017, USA Archery established a partnership with mParks to grow archery at the community level in Michigan. With the generous support of Easton Foundations and the Archery Trade Association, Explore Archery grants were awarded to twelve communities in Michigan. Each grant, valued at $4,000, provided a complete equipment kit and the Explore Archery program curriculum, materials and achievement awards. Two staff members from each community were also certified as USA Archery Level 2 Instructors. In just two years, that initial investment grew to fifteen programs across Michigan that introduced nearly 10,000 new archers to the sport and generated over $2.6 million in archery equipment sales.
Building on this incredible level of success, USA Archery again partnered with the Easton Foundations and mParks in 2021 to bring trainings to ten new communities in the state:
Explore Archery is a fun, easy way to introduce new participants to archery. This introductory program is safe and fun and teaches beginners important skills like range safety and proper shooting form and includes exciting games and the chance to earn achievement awards.
“With the addition of the ten new communities that will start offering archery programs in 2022, mParks Archery now has over 40 parks and recreation departments represented on the mParks Archery Focus Area, networking together to grow archery programs grassroots across Michigan,” shared Bryan Farmer, mParks Archery Focus Area Chair and Deputy Director for the Department of Special Services (Parks and Recreation) in Farmington Hills.
mParks plans to build additional archery ranges in local parks as part of their expanded plan, supported by federal excise tax dollars from the Michigan DNR. "The quicker we can build a home for archery programs in our parks and community centers, the more we will see archery grow,” shared Farmer. "Since building Riley Archery Range in Heritage Park (Farmington Hills, Michigan) in 2015, we have had an average of 5,000 people visit the range each year, and participate in a variety of archery programs. We are now working on building another archery range in our community center so that we can provide year-round opportunities for our JOAD Club and the nearby colleges that are interested in developing archery teams. This will be considered our archery training center."
Emily May, Recreation Coordinator for City of Port Huron Recreation Department shared: “We are so excited that we now have the opportunity to bring a beginners’ archery program to our community. I have wanted to start an archery program for quite some time now, but never could due to the lack of instructors in our area. However, thanks to USA Archery and the Explore Archery grant, I was able to become a Level 2 Archery Instructor myself and can now start my own program at our recreation department. USA Archery has provided all of the necessary equipment and materials that we need in order to have a successful archery program, and for that we are so grateful!”
Learn more about USA Archery Grant opportunities, find a club near you, or contact [email protected] for more information.
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