MidwayUSA Celebrates 20 Years of Friends of NRA
OutdoorHub 03.06.12
Every year for the past 20 years, community members and business owners in Mid-Missouri have come together to raise money to defend one thing – Second Amendment rights – thanks to a program started by Columbia business owners Larry & Brenda Potterfield of MidwayUSA.
In the spring of 1992 at the annual NRA meeting in Salt Lake City, UT, Larry Potterfield sat down with current Executive Director of the NRA Foundation Wayne Sheets, to talk about what Larry and his wife could do back home to help raise more money for the NRA. The result was a “fundraising party” that attracted 1,000 people and committee of volunteers known as Friends of NRA (FNRA). This single gathering would eventually trigger over 1,000 events annually across America.
“Brenda and I couldn’t be happier with how the seed that was planted back in 1992 has grown,” said Larry Potterfield. “Today’s FNRA events are much better planned and executed than the first one; and, of course, there is a national FNRA office to provide support. One thing we didn’t envision was the value the NRA would get by mobilizing NRA volunteers in over 1,000 communities, and getting NRA members together at the annual events.”
The 20th anniversary event is anticipated to be the largest event in the Mid-Missouri chapter’s history, with an expected attendance over 1,200 people. Committee members are also expecting executive staff members from NRA headquarters in Fairfax, VA to be in attendance as well as Friends of NRA TV hosts Jessie and Matt Duff.
“The Mid-Missouri Chapter would like to thank all of the local businesses for their support over the years,” said chapter chairman Jerry Thornton. “We also want to thank the Potterfield family for being such an abundant influence not only to the Friends of NRA, but to our local community as well.”
