Camp Valor Outdoors Spring Fishing Classic kicks off

By Kevin Jenkins | April 25, 2018 |

The 5th Annual Camp Valor Outdoors Spring Fishing Classic Fishing Tournament and Skeet Shoot will begin at the S Bar F Scout Ranch in Knob Lick today and run through Friday.

Camp Valor Outdoors Founder/Executive Director Major John T. Schwent, Jr., USMC (retired) said everyone will be meeting at the VFW in Farmington at 10:30 a.m. today for a meet and greet.

“We will introduce the 10 warriors we have coming in to everybody and give them a presentation,” said Schwent. “We will have the boat guides there and will have a Patriot Guard escort to the S Bar F Scout Ranch. Once there we will be doing a pre-fishing event in the afternoon.”

Schwent said on Thursday they will have a fishing tournament with the warriors and that evening there will be a fish fry dinner that is open to the public at 6 p.m. at the VFW in Farmington.

“During the dinner we will give out awards for the fishing tournament and present them to the warriors,” said Schwent. “Friday is the skeet and trap shoot with the warriors at the Lead Belt Gun Club and the tournament is open to the public.”

Schwent said they will have prizes for the winners of the skeet tournament and the event is still not full, so they welcome anyone who would like to participate.

“We would love to have local folks come out to shoot with our warrior and it’s a fundraiser,” said Schwent. “It’s $25 for a round of skeet and trap and there will be guns and ammo there if you need some. There will also be a lunch provided for our participants. The tournament will begin at 9 a.m.”

They will need a minimum of 50 shells and they have to be a seven and half shot or smaller so 12, 16, 20 and 28 gauges are acceptable.

Schwent said all the warriors are from Missouri and Illinois, all within three hours of where the event is taking place.

“We have had a lot of support and sponsorships this year,” said Schwent. “Without them this event wouldn’t be possible. We have a more extensive list than ever of sponsors this year.”

Schwent said if you are a veteran or know of a veteran who is ill, injured or wounded, who may be struggling and can benefit from these services they provide for free for them to contact Camp Valor Outdoors directly at 816-898-8311.

“I know there are a lot more that we aren’t reaching,” said Schwent. “There’s a lot of those (National Guard) guys who deploy who are struggling. They won’t get out of the house, they don’t know what to do, they’re not working, they are usually on the bottle or they take prescription meds. That is the community we are trying to reach.”

Schwent said often the spouse will call them and say their husband is struggling and he needs some help. That’s the majority of the phone calls they get.

“I hope they read this article and reach out to us,” said Schwent. “We do so many different things other than reconnecting in outdoors through hunting, fishing, shooting and archery. There is also family retreats to help strengthen the husband and wife and there is marital counseling. We have many connections here in Missouri for that whole side of it as well.”

Schwent said this program has really grown from just reconnecting in the outdoors to meeting all these other needs and finding resources to help strengthen the warrior family.

For more information, contact Dave Oder 573-631-4393 or John Schwent at 816-898-8311.

Check out www.campvaloroutdoors.org for more information or to make a donation. They are also on Facebook and those interested can find out how they can get more involved in helping wounded veterans in Missouri.