HB Shooting Foundation

HBSF NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

2024

HBSF Press Release | 2024 Quail Hunt Fundraiser
2024 FUNDRAISER NETS $15K FOR HBSF

On November 1-2, 2024 HBSF once again returned to Greystone Castle in Mingus Texas for its annual fundraising event. The event is comprised of a Friday afternoon hunt (quail, chukar, pheasant) followed by dinner, overnight lodging and then another hunt Saturday morning.

This year's fundraiser was a total sell-out, with over thirty participants. Greystone deployed more guides, dogs, and field trucks than they ever have for any event.

Vulcan Industries was a primary sponsor bringing fourteen of their staff and suppliers. This is their 4th year as the marquee sponsor. Other supporting organizations included Park Cities Quail and AgTrust Farm Credit. We were also pleased to have two of our collegiate grant recipients join us — one from the University of Texas and the other from Texas A&M.
The event will net approximately $15K for the Foundation. Additional donations will allow us to make $30K available for grants this year. Grant applications are due by the first of 2025 with awards to be announced in early February.

As always, many thanks to all of our participants and supporters!

2024 Quail Hunt Fundraiser | SAVE THE DATE
Save the date and join us for the Higgins Branchini Shooting Foundation 2024 Quail Hunt Fundraiser!

This year's event will be held on November 1-2, and it will be our sixth year at the beautiful Greystone Castle in Mingus, Texas.

As always, proceeds will go toward the support of collegiate shotgun shooters.

Full information about the 2024 fundraiser will be available soon, so plan to secure your reservations early. Participants and sponsors alike are invited to be a part of this terrific two-day event! If you are interested, please contact Mike Higgins, HBSF President, via email... Michael.Higgins@HBShootingFoundation.org.

2023

2023 Year End Summary
The Higgins Branchini Shooting Foundation (HBSF) is very proud to report that several of our former and current grant recipients performed very well on the international target shooting stage in 2023. Two of our grant recipients, Alicia Gough and Ryann Phillips, were named to the US Women's National Trap Team. In addition, Alicia won a Silver Medal in Mixed Team Trap at the World Cup.

Two more of our recipients, Dania Vizzi and Caitlin Connor, were named to the US Women's Skeet Team.

Further, three of our recipients were named to the US World Cup Team, and competed in Qatar and two other young women competed in the Junior World Championships in Changwon, South Korea.

Last, but by no means least, one of our HBSF Advisory Board members, Derrick Mein qualified for the US National Men's Trap Team and was also awarded the US Distinguished International Shooter Award.

At the end of 2023, HBSF received 29 grant requests from around the Country. Of these applicants, 27 were awarded grants totaling $35,000.00. In the 13 years HBSF has been in operation, we have now provided $320,000.00 in grants to 262 collegiate shotgun competitors. We continue to receive very gracious thank you notes from grant recipients that demonstrate we are making a difference.

In 2023, we continued our partnership with the Fort Worth Stock Show Youth Sporting Clay event, where we sponsor their education program and continue to make future college shooters aware of the Foundation. We also established a relationship with the publishers of Modern Huntsman Magazine, which we hope will further broaden our visibility nationally.

In 2024, we will again host our annual Quail Hunt Fundraiser at Greystone Castle. This year's event will be held November 1-2. We are also making plans for an early fall celebration event at a new venue in Dallas. More information on both these events will be forthcoming.

Many thanks to all who have made the Foundations efforts successful.

2022

Spring Update | In Memoriam: Melinda Branchini
In January, the HBSF Board of Directors met and awarded $33,600.00 to 26 grant recipients for 2022. This brings the total amount of grants awarded in the last 11 years to $246,108.00. These grants have supported 207 individual collegiate shotgun competitors spread over nearly 60 different colleges and universities around the Country.
The ACUI National Collegiate Championships were held in San Antonio this spring and 6 of our grant recipients from 2021 posted top 10 finishes in a variety of disciplines.

In addition, Maddy Bernau (grant recipient in 2020/21) won a Bronze Medal at the Olympics in Tokyo late last year.

We are very pleased that so many of our grant recipients are able to practice and compete utilizing the grants we provide.

HBSF will once again be hosting our annual fundraiser at Greystone Castle west of Ft Worth on November 4-6, 2022. We are looking forward to seeing many of our old friends along with a number of new ones this year. We were very pleased in 2021 to welcome Vulcan Industries to the Greystone event and are very appreciative of their support.

On a sad note, one of the founders of HBSF, Melinda Branchini, passed away in April of 2022. Melinda had been the Executive Director of the Foundation from day one and arranged our 501c3 status with the IRS, managed all the interaction with grant applicants and recipients, and managed the Board of Directors. Melinda had been battling a very aggressive form of Parkinsons Disease (Progressive Supra Nuclear Palsy – PSP) for several years. After the 2021 Greystone event, her health took a precipitous decline. Her final days were spent enjoying the quiet beauty of Santa Fe, a favorite travel destination for many years.

Melinda was deeply passionate about the Foundation's work, and enjoyed interacting with our grant recipients and following their growth and progress — both in competition and in life.

The Foundation will carry on, but it will never feel the same without her guidance and strength.

For a downloadable copy of this press release — in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format — click HERE.

2021

Lone Star Outdoor News: Turning Shooters into Hunters
HBSF QUAIL HUNT FUNDRAISER FEATURED IN NOVEMBER LONE STAR OUTDOOR NEWS

The Foundation's annual Quail Hunt Fundraiser event received a nice write-up in the November 2021 issue of Lone Star Outdoor News

Lili Keys of Lone Star Outdoor News penned a report on our recent Quail Hunt Fundraiser, one of our flagship events, held once again at Greystone Castle in Mingus, Texas.

Special hunts at this year's event featured collegiate shooters — and grant recipients — Christine Trimmer, Will Van Dusen, and Shea Self. Events included sporting clays, walk-up hunts, European driven pheasant shoots, as well as a silent auction. The fundraiser raised more than $70,000 for the Foundation.

The digital article is available online HERE.

Quail Coalition | 2021 Yearly Review
HBSF FEATURED IN QUAIL COALITION YEARLY REVIEW

The Foundation got a nice write-up in the Quail Coalition 2021 yearly review.

HBSF has received a grant from Quail Coalition (Park Cities Quail) the last four years. The Coalition publishes a report on the various grant recipients every year. Over $1M is given out every year. HBSF is the smallest recipient — usually $10K or so — but their ongoing support of the Foundation is of great help, and is much appreciated. The excerpted article is a shortened version of a piece authored by Board Member Mimi Wilfong a year ago.

A scanned excerpt from the Review is available HERE.

HBSF Press Release | July 2021
MADDY BERNAU TAKES BRONZE AT 2021 TOKYO OLYMPICS MIXED TEAM TRAP - TOKYO, JAPAN

HBSF grant recipient Maddy Bernau and her partner Brian Burrows won bronze in the Olympic mixed team trap competition at the Asaka Shooting Range in this summer's Tokyo games.

Bernau's winning shot in the shoot-off with Slovakia's mixed trap team gave the U.S. the bronze medal, coming in the very first time mixed team trap has been held at the Olympics.

Bernau, the 23-year-old from Wisconsin, had only been shooting trap for five years, and the summer Olympics were only her fifth time competing abroad.

In a congratulatory letter to Maddy, HBSF's Mike Higgins gave high praise to the young shooter for her accomplishment...

"On behalf of the Higgins Branchini Shooting Foundation, Board of Directors and Advisory Committee, I would like to congratulate you on your achievements at the Olympic Games. We are so proud of you!

"You have exemplified the very purpose we had in mind when we began the Foundation 10 years ago. Our idea was to provide support to promising young athletes to help them achieve their goals. You have most certainly done that!
"As an ambassador for the Country and our sport, you have excelled."

"Thank you so much for all your hard work and dedication and thank you for allowing HBSF to be involved in just the most limited way."

"Congratulations again!"

HBSF Press Release | April 2021
2021 ACUI NATIONAL COLLEGIATE SHOTGUN CHAMPIONSHIPS - SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS

HBSF's Mike Higgins and Melinda Branchini attended last month's ACUI Collegiate Nationals in San Antonio, which was conducted on a reduced scale due to the COVID-19 pandemic (the 2020 event was not held).

Roughly 550 competitors attended vs. the 1,000 of two years ago. No sponsors, vendors, parents, or friends were allowed on the grounds; only competitors and coaches were permitted inside the venue.

Four events were held over three days: American Trap, American Skeet, Sporting Clay, Super Sporting (no International or Five Stand). Teams were allowed on the grounds to shoot their events, then asked to leave. There was none of the usual atmosphere with tents, cookouts, campers, and mingling between teams. It was very antiseptic, quick, and to the point. All competitors had to bring proof of a negative COVID test. Each was given a wrist band reflecting them being "safe" and all had their temperatures taken on arrival.

That said, the ACUI must be given credit for making the event happen at all. There was pressure from various quarters to cancel again this year, which would have been devastating for the competitors and the various university programs. All the collegiate athletes in attendance seemed to understand the need for the restrictions and were making the best of the situation. Everyone we spoke to was very happy to be at the "big show" this year after missing last year.

Happily, we (HBSF) were allowed brief access to the grounds to meet with our grant recipients in the competition. Out of 500+ competitors, HBSF grant recipients represented themselves very well. In fact, of the seventeen grantees for 2021, ten were in attendance at the Nationals. These included: Alex Rudd and Jeff Wanner of Mount Marty University in South Dakota (last year's recipient from Mount Marty, Nathan List, was also competing); Colton Back and Ryland Downs from Schreiner University; Christina Byrd and Ryan Loveless from Lindenwood; Joseph Wischerath, Laurence Peterson, Nicholas Godfrey and Will Van Dusen from the University of Texas.

Several HBSF shooters finished with outstanding placings at this year's Nationals...

American Skeet (Men's)
- Will Van Dusen (UT) 10th
- Ryan Loveless (Lindenwood) 16th
- Nick Godfrey (UT) 22nd
Super Sporting (Men's)
- Will Van Dusen (UT) 12th
Sporting Clay (Men's)
- Will Van Dusen (UT) 18th
American Skeet (Women's)
- Maddy Bernau (Martin Methodist) 24th
American Trap (Women's)
- Maddy Bernau (Martin Methodist) 15th
Super Sporting (Women's)
- Maddy Bernau (Martin Methodist) 8th
- Monica Dale (Concordia) 9th
Sporting Clay (Women's)
- Monica Dale (Concordia) 8th
Maddy Bernau is also a member of the current US Olympic Shotgun Team and will be competing in Tokyo this summer. Will Van Dusen had been a competitor/grant recipient at Texas A&M, but upon finishing his undergrad, transferred to UT for his graduate work.

We were sought out by Courtney Meinhardt of Drury University in Missouri, who received a grant last year. She was very grateful for her prior grant and while we were talking with her current coach, she came up to thank us.

We also had the opportunity to meet with Dr. John Taylor the CEO of ACUI as well as Shawn Dulohery the Director of Shooting Programs.

Finally, we connected with coaches from Doane, Drury, Lindenwood and the University of Texas. All indicated they will have applicants coming to the Foundation in 2022.

It's worth noting that other HBSF grant recipients not attending this year's Nationals participated the week prior in the Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) in Ohio. In many cases, Universities would not allow their teams to travel over a certain distance due to the pandemic. All our grantees, competing in either event, are worthy of congratulations for their hard work and dedication during a most difficult two-year period.

Each of the student athletes we met at the event were appreciative of our support and very excited to be at the Nationals. Everyone is looking forward to 2022 when (we assume) the event will be back to normal.

For a downloadable copy of this press release — in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format — click HERE.

2020

NSSF Article "Fueling the Next Shot" | September 2020
HBSF Featured in NSSF Magazine

The Foundation got a nice write-up in the current NSSF magazine (National Sport Shooting Foundation) in an article, "Fueling the Next Shot: The Higgins Branchini Shooting Foundation", by Peter Mathiesen.

The piece describes the goal of HBSF's founders, Mike Higgins and Melinda Branchini, to help young people interested in competitive shotgunning reach their full potential as upper-tier shooters.

Board President Michael Higgins explains, "Collegiate clay shooting is all about repetition. The number of rounds a student fires a year has a direct impact on their ability to compete effectively. We wanted to improve these kids' chances to be as competitive as possible with grants that help relieve the cost of ammunition, entry fees, and travel expenses."

NSSF is the firearm industry trade association and the owner & operator of the annual SHOT Show. NSSF also launched the +ONE Movement in 2018 to encourage experienced gun owners, target shooters and hunters to bring a friend along on hunting or range excursions.

To read the online version of this article, click HERE.

HBSF Press Release | March 2020
2020 U.S. OLYMPIC TEAM MEMBERS

The members of the United States Olympic Trapshooting Team were recently finalized at the selection match in Tucson, Arizona through February and March, 2020. We are happy to announce that these Olympic athletes include two individuals with strong ties to the Foundation.

Madelynn Bernau (Maddy), from Martin Methodist University, will be one of two ladies comprising the U.S. Women's Olympic Trap Shooting Team. Maddy was the recipient of a financial grant from Higgins Branchini Shooting Foundation for 2020. We are very proud of Maddy's performance and are delighted to have been able to contribute to her training.

Everyone at HBSF looks forward to watching Maddy compete in Tokyo this summer and wishes her great success.

Derrick Mein has been a member of the HBSF Advisory Committee since the Foundation's beginning. Derrick is one of the key members who review all the applications we receive and provide guidance to the Board of Directors regarding who should receive grants and for how much. Derrick has been the World Sporting Clay Champion and now, he has also qualified for the U.S. Men's Olympic Trap Shooting Team.

We are extremely proud of Derrick and wish him the very best in Tokyo.

For a downloadable copy of this press release — in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format — click HERE.

HBSF Press Release | February 2020

HBSF AWARDS GRANTS TOTALING $32,900.00 TO 25 COLLEGIATE SHOTGUN COMPETITORS

The HBSF Board of Directors met on Saturday, February 8, 2020 and awarded 25 collegiate shotgun competitors grants totaling $32,900.00. This is the 9th year we have been able to offer support to deserving collegiate athletes.

Since HBSF was started, grant awards have now been provided to just over 200 recipients nationwide and we have awarded $209,000.00 in total. This is made possible by support from people like you and we appreciate your ongoing involvement very much. We have also been privileged to receive support from great organizations like Lone Star Ag Credit and the Park Cities Quail Coalition.

In 2019, we hosted our Quail Hunt Fundraiser at Greystone Castle in Mingus, Texas. It was a great success — and we will return there in 2020 on November 6-8, so mark your calendars!

Collegiate shotgun competitors from the following schools received grants for 2020...

Arizona State University Arizona	University of New Hampshire New Hampshire
University of Florida Florida	Connor State University Oklahoma
Grand View University Iowa	Mount Mary College South Dakota
Lindenwood University Missouri	Martin Methodist College Tennessee
Drury University Missouri	Shreiner University Texas
Concordia University Nebraska	University of Texas, Austin Texas
University of Nebraska Nebraska	Texas A&M Texas

The grant applicants were reviewed by our Advisory Committee as well as the Board of Directors. Several of the recipients have the potential to be national collegiate champions. Many of them just seek to become better competitors. We at HBSF are delighted to be able to assist these outstanding young athletes as they pursue their competitive goals.

As always, we would like to thank our partners, including Park Cities Quail Coalition and Greystone Castle, for their ongoing support.

For a downloadable copy of this press release — in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format — click HERE.

2019

HBSF Press Release | December 2019
2019 QUAIL HUNT FUNDRAISER RECAP

The Higgins Branchini Shooting Foundation (HBSF) hosted their annual Quail Hunt Fundraiser at Greystone Castle Sporting Club in Mingus, Texas, November 15-17, 2019.

The fundraiser had been held at Long Straw Ranch the last seven years, but interest in the event had grown to such a level that a larger venue was required.

Greystone is a 6,000 acre hunting and sporting clay facility with the ability to offer 25 overnight rooms in 5 private lodges. In addition, they offer excellent dining and meeting facilities. HBSF is delighted to have found a new home for our annual fundraiser, and the success of this year's fundraiser validated our confidence in this outstanding venue.

31 hunters participated in this years' event. Many of them were joined by spouses and overnighted in the lodges, enjoying the fabulous breakfast, lunch and dinner service. Many new friends were made and, by all accounts, everyone had a very enjoyable time.

The hunting and sporting clay experiences were exceptional, with excellent guide and dog work. The Greystone staff could not have been better, catering to virtually every need throughout the event. On top of all this, because of Greystone's size, there is room to grow the annual event. Over the entire Friday - Sunday period, Greystone could have accommodated 90 participants. So, HBSF is looking forward to continued growth for the fundraiser.

As always, HBSF had great support from Lone Star Ag Credit and from Park Cities Quail Coalition. Their enthusiastic assistance — as well as that of our silent auction item donors — was instrumental to the success of this years' fundraiser. Owing to the Park Cities Quail Coalition support, we were able to invite 3 collegiate clay target competitors to come join us at no cost to them. In addition, Clay Shooters Supply provided wonderful Cape Buffalo Shell Pouches for each participant, courtesy of a grant from John Calandro.

The Foundation is deeply grateful to the many donors, partners, and participants who contributed so generously and selflessly toward the success of the 2019 fundraiser!

For a downloadable copy of this Fundraiser press release — in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format — click HERE.

HBSF Press Release | July 2019
NEW VENUE FOR ANNUAL QUAIL HUNT FUNDRAISER

The Higgins Branchini Shooting Foundation's 2019 Quail Hunt Fundraiser is being held Friday, November 15th through Sunday, November 17th at the Greystone Castle sporting facility in Mingus, Texas.

This world-class venue offers some of the best hunting in the United States, and is conveniently located near the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, offering easy access for domestic and international travelers.

Several options and hunt packages for the Fundraiser are available this year...
- PACKAGE 1 - Similar to those offered previously at Long Straw Ranch, this is a single half-day hunt, with lunch and refreshments included. The price is $1,000 per participant (with $350 tax deductible).
- PACKAGE 2 - This option includes a morning hunt and afternoon sporting clays, with lunch and refreshments included (no overnight stay). The price is $1,100 per person (with $350 tax deductible).
- PACKAGE 3 - This package includes an overnight stay at one of the five lodges in Greystone's main building and two hunts (or one hunt and one round of sporting clays). Both options include breakfast, lunch, and dinner — along with an open bar and snacks. Overnight stays for this package are only available on Friday night (Fri/Sat) and Saturday night (Sat/Sun).
- OPTION 3A - One Hunt & One Sporting Clays Session, with overnight stay (Friday night or Saturday night). The price is $1,600 per person (with $350 tax deductible).
- OPTION 3B - Two-Hunt Package, with overnight stay (Friday night or Saturday night). The price is $2,150 (with $700 tax deductible).
The Foundation is excited about the move from Long Straw Ranch to Greystone Castle, and we look forward to introducing our supporters to this world-class venue.

Reservations and deposit are required for all hunt packages.

For reservations or more information, follow THIS LINK or contact HBSF directly at 214-914-4514.

Greystone Castle Sporting Club
PO Box 158
Mingus, Texas 76463
Phone: 254-672-5927
Web: www.greystonecastle.com
E-Mail: info@greystonecastle.com

HBSF Press Release | February 2019
During the recent (Feb 9th) annual meeting of the HBSF Board of Directors, 25 collegiate shotgun competitors were awarded a total of $31,000.00 in grants for 2019. These grants are earmarked to better enable recipients to train and compete more in the various clay target shooting disciplines. The recipients were from 14 schools across the country located in 8 different states. In addition to several Texas schools, Universities from Iowa, New Hampshire, Missouri, Nebraska, Georgia, Oklahoma and Virginia were represented by grant recipients.

This grant giving cycle represents the 8th year HBSF has provided funding to support collegiate shotgun competitors. Grants to date total more than $150,000 and have supported over 130 collegiate competitors around the Country. Some grant recipients have won national and international championships and titles. Others have simply become better competitors and improved their abilities. HBSF is proud of all of our grant recipients. Over 50% of grant recipients to date have been female athletes.

HBSF Press Release | January 2019
In January, the HBSF President, Vice President and Executive Director spent several days at the SHOT (Shooting, Hunting, Outdoors, Trades) Show in Las Vegas. This enabled us to meet representatives from a number of sport shooting industries and resulted in a new sponsorship from Boyt Manufacturing. We renewed contacts with Fiocchi and Aquila among dozens of others and met with journalists from a number of publications.

Subsequent to the SHOT Show, HBSF joined the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) which is one of the largest advocate groups for the shooting and outdoor sports. NSSF is one of the primary sponsors of SHOT Show.

One of the other connections at the show resulted in HBSF working with Outdoor Sportsman Group of New York to develop our first Media Kit. This turned out to be a very professional-looking package, and is now available on a USB drive. The Media Kit enables us to put the HBSF "story" in front of sponsors, supporters and media very easily and conveniently. If you would like a copy of the Media Kit, please contact us through the web site or by phone and we will ship one to you immediately.

HBSF Welcomes New Sponsor: Park Cities Quail Coalition
HBSF is very proud to announce Park Cities Quail Coalition as a significant new sponsor in 2018/2019. The Coalition provided a significant grant to HBSF to help underwrite our fundraising and grant efforts. Park Cities Quail Coalition also sponsors the annual T. Boone Pickens Lifetime Sportsman Award. PCQ fundraising is largely directed toward the study of quail and quail habitat, and fuels ongoing efforts to sustain and restore game bird populations throughout Texas and the South.

We are very appreciative of PCQ seeing the value in our efforts to keep the "pipeline" full of young, educated shooters and sportsmen. Over the last nine years, PCQ has donated millions of dollars to leading-edge wildlife and habitat research; they are among the premier wildlife philanthropy groups in the US. We greatly appreciate their support.

2018

HBSF in the News | December 2018
DFW Outdoorsman visits Long Straw Ranch for an exciting day of Chukkar!
Click the DFW OUTDOORSMAN LINK to view this video on the DFW Outdoorsman web site.

2018 Beretta Reception Date Set
The annual HBSF Beretta reception will be held on Thursday, October 18th, 2018. This year's reception will once again be hosted at the Beretta Gallery in Dallas, Texas. Additional details about the reception will be posted on this web site and to our Facebook page in the Summer.

2018 Quail Hunt Fundraiser Dates Set
The 7th Annual Quail Hunt Fundraiser event, supporting collegiate shotgun shooters will be held Friday, November 9th & Saturday, Nov 10th 2018 (November 11th TBA). The event will once again be hosted by Long Straw Ranch, in Forestburg, Texas. More information about this year's event will be posted on this web site and to our Facebook page in the Summer.

HBSF in the News | January 2018
DFW Outdoorsman recently featured HBSF during our annual Quail Hunt Fundraiser at Long Straw Ranch. Video of this telecast is provided below.

__________

Or click this YOUTUBE LINK to view this video on the YouTube web site.

2017

HBSF Press Release | May 2017
Higgins Branchini Shooting Foundation (HBSF) is now in its sixth year of operation. In that time, the Foundation has provided over $125,000 of support to more than 100 individual collegiate shotgun competitors across the country.

In February, 2017, the Foundation awarded 18 grants to collegiate shotgun competitors totaling $21,000. At the 2017 ACUI Collegiate National Shotgun Championships in April, HBSF grant recipients won multiple awards, including...
- #1 Women's American Skeet
- #1 Women's American Trap
- #1 Men's International Skeet
In the fall of 2016, HBSF developed a relationship with Brownells of Grinnell, Iowa, and they have become our newest Foundation sponsor. Brownells is one of the largest suppliers of shooting equipment and accessories in the Country. This relationship led to a three-day clinic for Iowa collegiate shotgun shooters co-sponsored by HBSF and Brownells, held on the weekend of May 6-7, 2017, in Grinnell. The event boasted HBSF Advisory Committee members Travis Mears (10-time All American Sporting Clay Team), Sean McLelland (2008 Olympic Skeet Team), and Richard Whaley (Chief Instructor at the Dallas Gun Club/Caesar Guerini Pro Staff).

On Saturday the 6th, Travis conducted two "trick shooting" exhibitions at the Brownell Headquarters for their customers and staff. Among the most stunning tricks were Travis shooting skeet while jumping on a trampoline and while hanging upside down on an inversion deck. The crowds were astounded and enthusiastic.

On Sunday morning and again in the afternoon, Travis, Sean, and Richard conducted three one-hour clinics in trap, skeet, and 5-stand sporting clay, respectively. Between the morning and afternoon sessions, twenty Iowa collegiate shotgun competitors received personal instruction in each of the disciplines from our world-class instructors. All the participants and their coaches were very appreciative of the guidance and pointers they received. One collegiate competitor said, "I've been shooting six years and learned more today than in all six years combined."

Higgins Branchini Shooting Foundation (www.HBShootingFoundation.org) is proud to provide support to deserving collegiate shotgun competitors.

__________

HBSF is a 501(c) 3 non-profit organization with the mission of providing financial support to individual collegiate clay target competitors so they can have greater opportunities to hone their skills and compete in tournaments that might otherwise be beyond their reach.

An electronic (downloadable) copy of this press release is provided HERE, in Adobe Acrobat (PDF) format.

2016

2016 Grant Recipients
Students from the following colleges and universities have been awarded grants from HBSF in 2016...
- Virginia Tech University — Blacksburg, VA
- Eastern Kentucky University — Richmond, KY
- University of Arizona — Tucson, AZ
- Midland University — Fremont, NE
- Mississippi State University — MS
- Martin Methodist College — Pulaski, TN
- University of Florida — Gainesville, FL
- University of Arkansas — Fayetteville, AR
- Purdue University — West Lafayette, IN
- Hillsdale College — Hillsdale, MI
- San Jacinto College — Pasadena, TX
- Connors State College — Warner, OK
- Arizona State University — Tempe, AZ
- Ft. Hays State University — Hays, KS
- Bethel University — North Newton, KS
- Nicholls State University — Thibodaux, LA
- University of Tennessee — Knoxville, TN

Des Moines, Iowa Sporting Clay Clinic and Reception
On Tuesday, September 20th, HBSF conducted its first event outside of Texas. With the backing of Brownell's, who provided all the ammunition, and a core team of supporters in Des Moines, we conducted a sporting clay clinic and reception. The clinic was conducted by Derrick Mein, who had just returned from winning the FITASC World Sporting Clay Championship in Italy. The participants received two hours of coaching from Derrick at New Pioneer Gun Club. It was a great day to be shooting and everyone learned a lot.

That evening, a reception was held at the Veteran's Reception Center in Van Meter, Iowa. The reception was attended by clinic participants and a number of others from the Des Moines area. Former grant recipient and Ladies Collegiate Champion, Shea Self, flew in to speak with participants and share her experiences as a collegiate competitor. Board member Steve Wirth also came in from St. Louis.

In addition, during the reception a display was set up by Brad Reece of Maynard Reece Gallery in Des Moines. The gallery features the paintings of internationally known wildlife artist Maynard Reece. Brad provided a fabulous artists proof painting for the silent auction.

HBSF would like to say thanks to everyone who made this event such a success.

Beretta Gallery Reception — 5th Anniversary Celebration
On Thursday, October 13, the Beretta Gallery-Highland Park Village in Dallas hosted another reception for HBSF. The Beretta Gallery has been a great friend of the Foundation since our inception and their ongoing support is much appreciated. Over 50 friends of the Foundation attended and had the opportunity to sample wines courtesy of Blue Ostrich Vineyards in St. Jo, Texas. An outstanding array of wild game appetizers was provided by Fords Kitchen. Board Member Steve Wirth graciously provided underwriting for the appetizers. It was a great opportunity to re-connect with many friends and celebrate the Foundations 5th Anniversary.

5th Annual HBSF Quail Hunt
On Friday and Saturday, November 11-12, we had the pleasure of hosting the 5th Annual Quail Hunt Fundraiser at Long Straw Ranch. Once again, Lydia Laske and the great people at Lone Star Ag Credit made the event possible. Mike Micallef of Reata Restaurant in Ft. Worth provided a fabulous lunch both days. Mike gets the HBSF "Iron Man" award for making this possible since he'd literally been run over by a car a couple weeks before the hunt. Thanks Mike!!

Over 20 hunters participated during the two days and they were expertly guided by Ronnie and Ryan Smith and Mike Brown. Approximately 300 birds were put out in total and the weather cooperated enabling everyone to have a good time. In addition to hunting and eating, a small silent auction was conducted that featured Briley Chokes, a Yeti Cooler, a Henry .22 lever action and artwork.

Once again, friends from Monroe, Louisiana and St Louis, Missouri travelled in for the event and we appreciate their efforts to join us. Board members Liz Cook and Steve Wirth were on hand to help out and everyone had a great time while generating thousands of dollars for the Foundation to use supporting collegiate shotgun shooters in 2017.

Derrick Mein wins FITASC World Sporting Clay Championship
American shooters have dominated the world stage yet again with new World Championships for both individuals and teams at the 2016 World FITASC Sporting Championships in Italy. Derrick Mein, HBSF Advisory Committee Member, is the new World FITASC Champion. The USA FITASC Team also brought home gold medals for the Senior (Open) team, comprising Derrick Mein, Kevin DeMichiel, Gebben Miles, and Zachary Kienbaum.

You can read more about the match at...

www.nssa-nsca.org.

Selected documents are provided in Adobe® Acrobat™ portable document format (PDF).

To view and/or print Adobe® Acrobat™ portable document format (PDF) files, you will need the Adobe Acrobat add-in for your web browser or a stand-alone version of Adobe Reader™.

Higgins Branchini Shooting Foundation