Safari Club International Foundation Will Recognize Hunter-Conservationist with the Beretta Conservation Leadership Award

Safari Club International Foundation (SCI Foundation) President, Joe H. Hosmer, recently announced that the Foundation will honor a true conservation champion to promote and support the mission of SCI Foundation with its inaugural 2015 Conservation Leadership Award at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. The award will be presented on February 3, 2015 at the Safari Club International Foundation’s annual black tie gala. The award was formally announced at a cocktail reception sponsored by Beretta during the 2014 SCI Annual Convention.

The prestigious Beretta & SCI Foundation Conservation Leadership Award, which is open to anyone in the hunting-conservation world and is not limited to SCI members, will honor a unique individual that:

• Represents the ultimate embodiment of the hunter-conservationist philosophy.
• Exhibits extensive international hunting experience.
• Demonstrates a lifetime of commitment to wildlife conservation and education though volunteer service and philanthropy.

The SCI Foundation’s Annual Black Tie Gala, to be held on February 3, 2015, the evening before the SCI Hunter’s Convention in Las Vegas, will be an exclusive, formal event featuring the 2015 Beretta & SCI Foundation Conservation Leadership Award ceremony, entertainment, and an elite live auction. The auction will feature one-of-a-kind unique items including a Beretta Jubilee shotgun as-well-as a rare firearm donated by Beretta USA, valued at $25,000.

“Beretta, one of the oldest companies in the world, understands the importance for preservation and protection through a focus on wildlife conservation. As such, we are thrilled and honored to be the lead sponsor of this exciting new award which pays tribute to a hunter- conservationist who has made a lasting impact through their time afield and via their community and philanthropic efforts. Beretta proudly supports SCI Foundation because of its critical mission of wildlife conservation and education.”
Ryan Muety, Vice President Marketing, Beretta USA.

Individual and couple tickets will be available for purchase this summer. Sponsorship packages are also available. Contact Kimberly Byers at kbyers@safariclub.org if you are interested in sponsoring this event.

Join us for an exquisite event and support SCI Foundation and its missions!

Safari Club International

Protecting hunters’ rights and promoting wildlife conservation, SCI’s two areas of focus, historically has been the interest of hundreds of individuals long before SCI was established. But how did SCI as an organization begin?

Forty years ago, there were many safari clubs across the country made up of local, unaffiliated groups of hunters. One such was Safari Club of Los Angeles, which was formed in April 1971 by forty-seven individuals. In early 1972, an out-of-towner from a similar club in Chicago attended one of the monthly Wednesday night meetings, and it was decided that the L.A. club should attempt to combine with the one in Chicago to make it an affiliated chapter. The founder of Safari Club of Los Angeles, C.J. McElroy, went to the Windy City and instituted the new chapter.

Eleven months after the formation of Safari Club of Los Angeles, on March 9, 1972, the name was changed officially to Safari Club International. SCI continued to reach out to other independent safari clubs throughout the United States in an effort to combine them into a single overall organization.

Today, interest in SCI’s two primary missions has grown a worldwide network. Subsequent involvement and promotion of these missions is rooted in each of our 55,000 members, supported through each of our 190 membership chapters found across the globe, and put into action by government representatives and personnel both nationally and internationally.

In this way, we can encourage an appreciation for nature and wildlife so that conservation efforts remain strong, while also fighting to protect our rich hunting heritage. Big changes can be achieved through the endeavors of many who are united in a mission – the mission of Safari Club International.