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SPORTS SOUTH

Sports, Inc. industry grants total $430,000 in 2009

Sporting goods buying group awards grants to it members so they can fund local sports related projects across the U.S.

Since 1997, Sports, Inc. has invested $430,000 through its membership across the United States to fund sports related facilities and programs. The funding program, which is called the “Sporting Chance Award”, is given each year to two the Sports, Inc. members via a drawing held at one of the group’s five trade shows.

Nancy Wilson, Sports, Inc. vice-president, and the person who conceived the idea said, “We wanted to give something back to the communities where our members do business. All of our members are linked because of their common ownership in Sports, Inc. Subsequently, they also are linked to each other’s community and the success of the Sports, Inc. store in each community. The Sporting Chance gives all of Sports, Inc. an opportunity to give something back to a local member’s community, and the industry as a whole.”

When it started, the award was one $30,000 given out annually. Beginning in 2004, Sports, Inc. started giving $40,000 in the form of two, $20,000 awards; one to an outdoors store and one to one of its team stores.

The funds have been used for a variety of sports related facilities, projects and programs through the years. A recap is:

YEAR	Winning Store	Project
1997	Albertson’s Sport ShopWarsaw, IN	Kosciusko County 4-H Shooting Sports – Funding for equipment and supplies and construction of a new shooting facility and rifle range improvements.
1998	Team Sporting GoodsMarshfield, WI	Donation to the Greise Park Project in Marshfield, which as a community based project to develop athletics fields, basketball and tennis courts and other facilities for area youth. One of the soccer fields was named in memory of Dick Weinfurtner, the former owner of Team Sporting Goods.
1999	Carlson’s Sports CenterRed Wing, MN	Red Wing Youth Sports Program donation for equipment and funding financial aid for scholarships.
2000	Ed’s Sporting GoodsSt. Joseph, MO	St. Joseph Bantam Football Donation. Funds were used to complete a football facility for youth football including two new fields, fenced playground area, new scoreboards, an equipment building, concessions stand and restroom.
2001	Cecil Cahill	Mr. Cahill was a longtime Sports, Inc. staffer who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. The Sports, Inc. Board, Staff and Membership gave him the Sporting Chance funds in 2001 to help offset his medical expenses. Mr. Cahill passed away in 2002.
2002	Precision Gun WorksOshkosh, WI	Donations to Oshkosh City Parks for the purchase of kayaks, life vests and paddles to start a youth kayak program; Van Dyne Sports Club to develop youth shooting and hunter safety programs, and other local sports clubs.
2003	Buck and BassMemphis, TN	Facility construction at the Memphis Agricenter, site of the Ducks Unlimited Great Outdoor Festival. The money was used to build a bird viewing platform.
*[First Year two grants are given]*
2004	Gerrells and Co.Devils Lake, ND	Football uniforms for local middle school program, breakaway rims and wall mats for local college and construction of a disc golf course.
	Rube Adler Sporting GoodsSalon, OH	Donations to local sports teams and associations, including Cleveland Indians Charities, which impacts 15,000 youngsters in the Cleveland area.
2005	Brady’s Sportsman SurplusMissoula, MT	Funded an archery program in the local schools, and funded a youth fishing program
	Sport-N-CenterDenham Springs, LA	Purchased and donated school uniforms for students affected by hurricane Katrina.
2006	Gunnies Sporting GoodsOrem, UT	Provided 50% funding for a public shooting range in Provo, sponsored a “Learn to Shoot Day”, and sponsored Hunters Education courses.
	Downtown AthleticsCharlottesville, VA	Used the money to start foundation in Charlottesville through the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation. The foundation is being used to fund financial aid for local youth to participate in area sports activities.
2007	D&G Sports & WesternGlasgow, MT	Building a public shooting range in Glasgow in cooperation with the county and state fish, wildlife and parks department.
	Steadman’s Sports CenterBossier City, LA	Built a playground at the city’s baseball complex, and the city council voted to name the playground after the store’s founder, Bill Steadman. Steadman’s also used the funds to remodel the entrance to their local high school stadium and to support Special Olympics in Bossier City.
2008	Sportsman Supply Co.Butler, PA	Established shooting sports training programs for handguns, self-protection and a youth gun safety program.
	Athletics UnlimitedSacramento, CA	Allowed local schools to submit a “Wish List” of items they needed buy could not afford, and used the funds to fill as many of the requests as they could.
2009	Lafayette Shooters WildernessLafayette, LA	TBD

The 2000 award winner, Dick Carlson of Carlson’s Sport Center in Red Wing, MN said, “It is a great asset to belong to an organization like Sports, Inc. that puts the interests of furthering sports in such high regard. The Sporting Chance Award is a direct benefit of this philosophy.” One of the winners, Russell Taylor of Steadman’s Sport Center in Bossier City, LA, said, “We could not have done it without Sports, Inc.”

About Sports, Inc.: Sports, Inc. is a member-owned buying organization headquartered in Lewistown, MT. The company has 400 members in its group. All members are locally owned and operated independent sporting goods stores, and there are members in 49 states and Canada. The company provides it members with a variety of services and programs to allow them to compete and profit in a competitive market place, most notably volume purchasing discounts. The company was founded in 1965. It is involved in all sporting goods categories with an even mix of outdoors and athletics products.

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