Lancaster Archery Foundation Helps New Jersey Club Reach Independence

A New Jersey youth archery club is looking to take flight on its own with help from the Lancaster Archery Foundation.

Hawkeye Archers 4-H Club of Belle Mead, N.J., was awarded $1,000 by the foundation to buy indoor and outdoor targets, so it no longer has to rely on the generosity of a nearby club.

“We are sharing targets and safety equipment with another club,” Hawkeye organizers wrote on their grant application to the Lancaster Archery Foundation.

“We are looking to get our own fully equipped club so our members can learn and take pride in their equipment.”

Hawkeye Archers is under the umbrella of the Somerset County 4-H organization. The club is able to offer both indoor and outdoor archery to the 55 kids who currently participate in the club’s activities.

Hawkeye is looking to buy its own bag targets and target mats for “kids events, competition and classes so the club can be set up for success,” the grant application states.

Rob Kaufhold, president of the Lancaster Archery Foundation Board of Directors, said the foundation jumped at the chance to help Hawkeye set itself up for success.

“When a club like this has its own equipment and gear, there definitely is a sense of pride among the membership,” Kaufhold said. “That’s an important life lesson they’ll gain as they are also learning about archery.”

Based in Lancaster, Pa., the Lancaster Archery Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to expand, develop and promote 3D and target archery to help people improve their confidence, discipline and leadership skills through participation in competitive archery.

For more information on how you can donate to help organizations like Hawkeye Archers 4-H Club, visit lancasterarcheryfoundation.org.