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(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) Military service members participate in skeet shooting at the Warrior Ranch Hog Hunt fundraiser at the Young County Warrior Ranch. Two fundraisers will be held this week at the ranch benefiting Young County Toys for Tots.
Two inaugural events are being held this week supporting area children that utilize the Young County Toys for Tots program.
All proceeds from the Lavine-Austin Memorial benefit shoot and a cornhole tournament will benefit the local effort.
The U.S. Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots program distributed 2,587 toys to 804 children in Young County during 2024.
The organizer of the events, Adam LaVine, who serves as the Young County Veterans Service Officer, said Toys for Tots is something that benefited him growing up.
“I understand first hand how much those toys mean to the children receiving them,” LaVine said. “When poverty-stricken families have nothing to place under the tree for Christmas, they have a place to look for help.”
Another reason LaVine chose to support the local Toys for Tots organization was that the average amount raised locally has remained around $13,000 each year while the need has risen.
“Meaning that the number of toys purchased and given out have gone down,” he said. “I hope that with this event and through our sponsors, we can help make this Christmas season just a little better for some of the children of Young County.”
The cornhole tournament will begin at 6:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7 at the Young County Warrior Ranch at 1889 Turtle Hole Road. The cost to participate is $50 per team with cash prizes available for the winners.
The tournament will be double elimination and held in conjunction with Ragin Cajun Cornhole. To register for the tournament use the Scoreholio app.
For additional details on the tournament, contact Curtis Strider at 940-521-6730, or LaVine at 314-584-9722.
The shoot will be held the following day starting at 8 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 and will end at sunset at the Young County Warrior Ranch.
The shoot is a family event that welcomes shooters of all ages with parental consent and presence at the shoot.
“There will be cash games revolving around skeet shooting at clay pigeons as well as an opportunity to ‘Outshoot the Sheriff’ in a pistol showdown on steel targets,” LaVine said. “Following the cash games, we will allow shooters to come up and just shoot casually while they are there or invent their own competition against friends.”
For LaVine, this event serves as both a fundraiser for a local cause and a way to remember his late brother Christopher Austin and daughter Ruby LaVine.
“My brother was tragically murdered as a victim of gun violence in March of 2018 back home near Saint Louis, Missouri at the age of 27,” LaVine said. “My daughter was a late term miscarriage of just over 13 weeks after what we thought was a minor car accident.”
The cost to participate in the shoot is $25 with an optional $10 add-on to outshoot the sheriff one on one in a pistol shootout of six metal targets.
Lunch is included with registration and will be $5 for nonshooters who attend.
Alongside the event will be a silent auction and raffle items available, with all proceeds benefiting the local Toys for Tots organization.
For more information or to register, contact LaVine at 314-584-9722.
