It takes more than 13,000 volunteers from across the country to tackle over 660 annual Friends of NRA events. Their grassroots fundraising efforts have raised well over $1 billion gross dollars for The NRA Foundation, which supports firearms education and training—including more than 180 NRA programs—at the local, state, and national levels.
“Our volunteers are the backbone of Friends of NRA,” explains Director of Volunteer Fundraising Sarah Engeset. “They are a fundraising force with tireless energy, determination and passion to move our mission forward.”
Since 1992, Friends of NRA has held over 25,000 events, reached more than 4.5 million attendees and awarded nearly $457 million in grant funding, contributing to 57,000 NRA Foundation grants.
NRA Field Representatives evaluate volunteers on a number of criteria including event tickets sold, years of service, leadership and overall impact on the program. Each Field Rep selects one Volunteer of the Year (VOY) for their area, and then the Regional Directors determine their Regional Volunteer of the Year from those nominations. The four 2022 Regional Volunteers of the Year have more than 35 years of combined volunteering experience, during which they’ve raised over half of a million dollars for The NRA Foundation.
The VOY program also recognizes an exceptional Friends of NRA committee each year. Falls of the Ohio Friends of NRA in Indiana topped the charts in 2022. With approximately 1,000 attendees, they raised more than $262 thousand net and earned the title of Outstanding Committee of the Year.
Award recipients received an all-expenses-paid trip to the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits. This year they joined the 152th NRA Annual Meetings in Indianapolis, IN, on April 13-16. Special recognition was given to each Region Volunteer of the Year and the Committee of the Year during the National NRA Foundation Banquet & Auction on Thursday, April 13.
Visit friendsofnra.org/news/volunteers/ to view more of our 2022 volunteers of the year. A volunteer is highlighted every other week.
2022 REGIONAL VOLUNTEERS OF THE YEAR
EASTERN REGION
Indiana
Pete Neiman Falls of the Ohio Friends of NRA
CENTRAL REGION
Illinois
Roger Needham Winnebago-Boone County Friends of NRA
SOUTHERN REGION
Tennessee
Karen Hinkle East Tennessee Friends of NRA
WESTERN REGION
Montana
Judy & Mark Atwell Hamilton Friends of NRA
2022 COMMITTEE OF THE YEAR
Falls of the Ohio Friends of the NRA
Indiana
Help secure American freedoms and shooting sports traditions for generations to come! To join in the fundraising efforts near you, contact your local Field Rep or attend a local Friends of NRA event.
