Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA - High Caliber Club

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Roanoke Valley Friends For the last few years, Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA has tried to reach the elusive $25,000 High Caliber Club mark and has narrowly missed until this year. Despite the economic conditions in southern Virginia, the committee raised over $27,000 with 232 attendees surpassing their long-time goal.

The Roanoke Valley was the first ever Friends of NRA committee charted in Virginia. In 1993, they netted just over $2,000 and had less than 100 attendees. 16 years later, they are one of the biggest banquets in Virginia. “Being the Friends of NRA is a good thing,” Jim Kilgore, Western Virginia field representative said. “People want to support the things that they believe most deeply in. Our basic freedoms are foremost on everyone’s list.”

To reach their goal, Roanoke Valley does several pre-event fundraisers. This year, the committee gave away six sponsor guns and raffled off many others including the 2009 Gun of the year, the Ruger Vaqueros matched set. Roanoke Valley is also the only banquet in the nation to sell 42 pieces of jewelry at a single event from the Visionary Marketing Company. The jewelry is handcrafted by southwest Native American artisans and is offered at about a third of the retail cost at a Friends of NRA event.

At the banquet, special guest speaker Eastern Region Director Brian Hyder shared with the audience “The Cost of Freedom”, a historic talk about the value of what was required by our Founding Fathers to bring freedom from tyranny to the 13 colonies. “The cost of maintaining and teaching freedom remains high,” Kilgore said. “It is good to know we stand shoulder to shoulder with many good people in the Roanoke Valley of Virginia.”

The committee’s hard work is the main contributor to their 2009 success. “They work together toward a common goal,” Kilgore said. “I feel very proud of the entire committee; they are an amazing group of people.”

Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA  VA -1

Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA is supported by the communities from the counties of Bedford, Botetourt, Craig, Franklin and Roanoke and the cities of Roanoke, Salem, and Vinton.  The Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA VA - 1 was the first committee in Virginia. 

The committee meets the second Tuesday of each month.  If you would like to join us or offer to volunteer help or sponsorship, please contact us.

National FNRA

Would you like to learn more about the Friends of NRA program?  Check out the natioanl website.  www.friendsofnra.org

2010 Banquet Letter

Hello Friends it’s banquet time again, mark your calendar for August 28, 2010. That is the date of the 17th annual Roanoke Valley Friends of NRA Banquet. Please join us at the Salem Civic Center to help with our fund raising effort. There will be games, raffles, ticket draws and live auction for many valuable shotguns, rifles and handguns. We will have special draw bonus guns for those that purchase special ticket packs. There will be a door prize firearm for anyone purchasing a banquet ticket. Firearms are not all we offer. There will be beautiful prints, sculptures and carvings, also jewelry for the ladies and shooting accessories on silent and live auction.
 
The 2010 gun of the year is a beautiful Kimber 84M Classic Select Grade bolt action rifle in .308 Win. caliber and raffle tickets will be available at the event.

Based on our fund raising efforts in 2009 our committee achieved “High Caliber” status with the Friends of NRA. Our reward for this achievement was a custom 1911 CUSTOM-PARA USA 45 ACP pistol, limited to only 160 total production.  Raffle tickets for this beautiful handgun will be available the night of the banquet.

We also have a group of firearms for anyone who purchases our Roanoke Valley Friends Banquet Package, with a guaranteed one in ten odds chance of winning a $600.00 or greater retail value firearm no matter how many packages are sold.
 
                    Please note changes pertaining to the packages we are offering in 2010.

Banquet ticket pricing will be children 9-17 just $25.00, under age 9 free, single tickets are $40.00, couples tickets are $75.00. These prices include meal and a chance at the door prize gun.   

Roanoke Valley Friends Package. This includes two meal tickets, a shooters ticket pack, cap, and a chance at the special gun drawing (1 in 10 odds to win $600.00 or greater value firearm) for attendees that purchase this package only. The cost of this package is $225.00.

Roanoke Valley Friends Corporate Package. This includes one Roanoke Valley Friends Package with eight total meal tickets. The cost of this package is $425.00.

We are also offering all the national FNRA Sponsor packages. They do not include banquet attendance tickets or any special offerings. If interested please call for more information.

You may want to take advantage of our “Early Bird” opportunity. Purchase any banquet ticket before June 29, 2010 and you will be entered into a special drawing. Roanoke Valley Friends Package early bird winner will receive two $150.00 value shooter ticket packs. Single/Couple early bird winner will receive one $150.00 value shooter ticket pack.

 As mentioned above the Roanoke Valley FNRA Committee received the “High Caliber” award from the national Friends of NRA organization. We were the number one Virginia FNRA committee in net money raised for 2009. The committee has been working hard ever since it became the first committee chartered in Virginia many years ago to earn this honor, and it goes without saying we sincerely appreciate all of those individuals that have attended our banquets in the past that helped  make this possible. As Chairman I would also hope you would consider attending in 2010 and bring your spouse, a friend, youth, or other individual that you think would enjoy the evening of fun and good food.  

 Take a moment to look over the 2010 Banquet flyer and firearms list included with this letter. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me, Mike Kessler (540-884-2917) or any committee member or visit our website at http://roanokevalleyfnra.orgfor additional information.

Thanks again and look forward to seeing you on August 28, 2010.

Mike Kessler