HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — Shotguns cracked and clay discs shattered across the Carroll County Shooting Sports Complex on Saturday as dozens of participants turned out for the second annual Shooting for a Cure sporting clay fundraiser.
Competitive shooters from across the region fired through two flights of targets for a shot at top honors.
When the dust settled, the same group of shooters topped both flights: Scott Buchanan, Chris Smith, Darrell Hill and Ralph Greenwell.
Beyond the group competition, shooters could also test themselves in a “Longbird” side challenge, paying an entry fee for a shot at a standing distance record.
In total, the event raised $7,200 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
The clay shoot was the first of five fundraising events that Huntingdon High School senior Katherine Meggs has planned for the year.
Meggs participates in “Lights, Camera Fashion”, which is an annual fashion show and fundraising organization designed to empower high school students by fostering leadership skills while also teaching runway modeling and fundraising strategy design.
She said her connection to St. Jude deepened last year, when she was runner-up for top fundraiser and earned a trip to the hospital’s Memphis campus.
“You see how much people really don’t have to pay for, because of those who fundraise, and how personalized it is,” she said.
Meggs told the story about a young patient who wanted his grandma’s mac and cheese, so the hospital put her on FaceTime with the chef to get it made just right. It’s now a regular menu item at St. Jude.
“[Stories like that] are what made me sure I wanted to [fundraise] again,” Meggs said.
Much of the community pitched in to help Katherine make the shoot successful.
Her parents, Tim and Kristy Meggs assisted with outreach, and her uncle Shane Akin cooked the BBQ that competitors enjoyed.
Clarksburg Supermarket provided the meat and Pepsi Mid-South donated drinks.
Katherine’s grandmother provided various homemade desserts, as well.
VP Racing Fuels donated prize items to go along with trophies for the winners.
With the shooting competition complete and $7,200 already toward her goal, Katherine’s already looking ahead to her next fundraiser.
