Apr 19
RichmondCC Targets Working Students with Clay Shoot Fundraiser
Some of the best target shooters in Richmond and Scotland County competed April 11 at Richmond Community College’s Clay Shooting Classic at DeWitt’s Outdoors Sports. 
Capturing first place and winning the $500 cash prize award was the Tri-Cities Inc. team with shooters Kenneth Robinette, Tyler Brown, Curt Kindley and Joe Kindley.
Coming in second place and winning the $250 cash prize award was Sport Cycles with shooters Jerry Covington, Bryan Willis, Armon Waters and Mike Sellers.
Taking third and winning $100 was the RCC Blasters with shooters Gary Aycock, Dalton Bowman, Jay Wagers and Jacob DeWitt.
Aaron Caine was the lucky winner of the shotgun that was raffled off after the shoot concluded.
The clay shoot netted $8,941.82 for one of RichmondCC’s largest and fastest growing scholarships, the Working Scholarship program. In the three years since its inception, the Working Scholarship has helped offset the cost of tuition and books for 318 RichmondCC working students whose income made them ineligible for federal and state financial aid.
All three winning teams donated their winnings back to the Working Scholarship program.
“This event was a tremendous success, and the staff at DeWitt’s Outdoor Sports did a super job making this first clay shoot a great experience for all who participated, as well as for the many volunteers from the College who helped out,” said Dr. Hal Shuler, Associate Vice President of Development. "The clay sporting course at DeWitt’s is both challenging and fun, and we had some real good shooters show up and participate. I’d also like to thank Big Rock Sports, who along with DeWitt’s, was a major sponsor of the shoot.”
Fourteen teams competed on the 14-station course. Each team was comprised of four team members who each got a turn firing at the targets. Each team member also had the opportunity to buy mulligans before the shooting began.
The fundraiser, organized by the College’s Foundation, also included a silent auction and a pig pickin’ at the conclusion of the shoot.
“We held the shoot this year in the spring as a trial run, but we plan to make this an annual event,” Shuler said. “The RichmondCC Foundation also has its Anniversary Gala in the spring. While preparing for both, I recognized this was a conflict for many businesses and individuals who donate so generously to Richmond Community College, who may like to support both events but are not able to do so because of the time of the year.”
To alleviate this conflict, the Clay Shooting Classic will be moved to the fall, and the Gala will continue to be held in the spring. The clay shoot will be held Oct. 24 at DeWitt’s Outdoor Sports in Ellerbe.
“These fundraisers will put more money into the Working Scholarship program, which means we can help more students afford college and achieve their career goals,” Shuler said.