Matt Light’s Celebrity Shoot-Out

Responsibility, Ethics, Accountability, and Leadership.

That’s the motto from the Light Foundation, a non-profit organization formed by former New England Patriot’s player, Matt Light, to offer at-risk kids a better chance at leading healthy lives by using the outdoors to learn and grow. Every year Matt Light holds an event, the Matt Light Celebrity Shoot-Out, to raise funds for the Light Foundation. This year marked its 10th anniversary and raised a record $700,000.

I attended the Celebrity Shoot-Out this year at Addieville East Farm in Harrisville, Rhode Island. When I arrived at Addieville, the grounds had an almost Disney-like feel to it – there were activity stations set up across the compound that included everything from fly-fishing to archery, with instructors on hand to give you a brief lesson in each. My favorite activities of the event, of course, were the shooting events. Both Sig Sauer, Smith & Wesson, and Ruger were set up with various handguns, long guns and instructors. New shooters and experienced shooters alike lined up to try out the various options available. It was refreshing to see a number of inexperienced shooters in attendance who had the opportunity to try out different weapons and get some one-on-one instruction. For some guests, it was the first time they ever fired a gun. That just makes me happy.

 I had the fortunate opportunity to shoot the main event, an 18 course clay shooting event, with team Kawasaki, one of the sponsors and donors of the event. The atmosphere was light, fun, and just a tad bit competitive….ok, maybe that was just within my team (by the way Skip, I want a re-match). It was during that shooting event where I got the sense of just how much effort including the number of volunteers it took to run this event safely. In total, there were about 150 volunteers for the 500 guests in attendance.

Another fun part of the event (and one that raised a good portion of $) was the celebrity auction. There were rows upon rows of items up for bid. Available items included everything from NFL jerseys and other sports memorabilia to private lessons with Olympic athletes to a hunting lesson with the Duck Dynasty crew. I even saw the hood of a signed car from a NASCAR driver.

For more information about Matt Light and his foundation, visit http://www.mattlight72.com/

 Check out this video about the Light Foundation and see a few young men this foundation has inspired:

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