The Shoot for Coop

The Shoot for Coop Clay Pigeon Fundraiser event is held during the spring in Marble Falls, Texas. It began in 2015 as an attempt to make and endow enough money in the Cooper Ray DeSpain memorial Scholarship fund, to award two Marble Falls High School seniors a $1000 college scholarship each and every year. The first and second year were both abundantly successful. Since that time we have given a total of 11 scholarships to deserving young people in the name of Cooper Ray DeSpain in order to allow his memory to thrive and grow in our small community. 

On August 8, 2014, our son Cooper lost his life in an ATV accident at the young age of nine. Our family was but a shell of what and who we once were. When a parent loses a child we all seem to share the common fear that our child will be forgotten as the world continues to move forward, leaving only the immediate family to feel the constant void. Each member of our little family grieved very differently, but out of our grief, the Shoot for Coop was born. 

The first shoot was just six month after our loss. A committee of friends and family was created and these amazing people are still involved and helping today with the event planning. Among our small committee, we had zero experience in fundraising events, however,  we researched other events, sold raffle tickets, received donations galore, and it all came together in an enormously successful way. We made enough money in that first year to endow the funds so it would be guaranteed to last our lifetimes.

The outpouring of donations was completely overwhelming. We were given rifles, deer feeder, custom made knives, shotguns just to name a few. The shooting event itself was a great time. There were 4 man teams at 13 shooting stations with a shot gun start. The entire round took about 2 hours with a round in the morning and one in the afternoon.  Outstanding Texas barbeque is for sale throughout the day as well as raffle drawings and a live band. Mens teams are $500 and women and children are $250. Sponsorships are $250 for repeat sponsors, and $500 for new sponsors who would require a banner to be made. 

Last year we were able to give scholarships to two Marble Falls High School graduates, two Burnet High School graduates and one Johnson City graduate. The recipients applied and had to meet certain requirements, one of which included a 500 word essay. We also gave four scholarships to Camp Peniel, a week-long Christian Youth camp that Cooper attended and enjoyed each summer of his short life. These were given to incoming sixth graders who otherwise might not be able to have such an amazing camp experience. All of this would not be possible without the outpouring of love from our community. We are truly blessed in our small hill country home. 

The event this year is set for March 18, 2017 at Hidden Falls Adventure Park, Marble Falls, Texas. 

If you are interested in participating or sponsoring, please contact us via email at shootforcoopmarblefalls@gmail.com.

You can also call David at 830 798-4623 or visit  www.shootforcoop.com.

—Pat DeSpain

—Edited by TF&G Staff

 

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