Kamp for Kids instills core values in America's children
Sunday, August 10, 2008
The tall, lanky gentleman put his hand on my shoulder and told me to keep doing what I was doing.
He liked the way I promoted conservation — the hunting, fishing and trapping lifestyle.
Chuckling, he told me that he was taken aback years before when he first heard of this wild, long-haired Motor City Madman shooting flaming arrows on stage every night and raising hell with unbridled, loud, over-the-top rock 'n roll.
Then he said how he had listened to my message closely, and that he liked it.
He expressed surprise at how many young people he had met that shared with him how it was the wild rocker that had turned them on to the mystical flight of the arrow and the great outdoors.
I smiled back at Fred Bear and simply said, "Yes, sir, you can bet on it."
These encouragements came from the great man, a fellow Michigan native, most responsible for popularizing bowhunting in this country.
Our exchange came on a stunning, pivotal day of vivid October colors in the wilds of Michigan 21 years ago.
Five months later, the legendary bow hunter was gone.
Nonetheless, his message pulsed relentlessly through me. It was spurred on by the mindless culture war against the pure hands on conservation lifestyle roiling across a country drunk on political correctness.
Following my hero's direction, I created the Ted Nugent Kamp for Kids. The non-profit charity implements his instructions to the fullest, while at the same time counterpunching those fools who dare try to interfere with our positive hunting heritage.
Right over wrong always turns me on.
We teaching basic wildlife and environmental stewardship responsibilities, hunter safety, archery and the fundamentals of outdoor recreation.
We give much time fortifying young people against the curses of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gangs and crime.
Families bring their children ages 11-17 from across America for three-day weekends with specially trained volunteer counselors. In a beautiful wilderness setting, they discover the spirit of the wild within them.
Each boy and girl takes home a hunter's safety certificate and an unstoppable love for being the best he or she can be as an asset to family, America, Mother Nature and the good earth.
Tens of thousands of children and their families have been powerfully affected.
It happened again recently outside Omaha, Neb., where 75 children got the thrills of their lives at the Walnut Creek campgrounds for a special one-day event.
That's 13,000 children having been introduced to archery, bowhunting, fishing, trapping and BB gun marksmanship and hunter safety at just the Nebraska chapter of our enterprise alone.
The smiles on these youngsters' faces was all the payment anyone could ever ask for.We have created an army of positive peer pressure. How cool is that?
Here in Texas, many organizations reach out and organize such events for kids. I encourage everyone to look into them and get involved in any way you possibly can.
Soon, we will be meeting with various groups to hopefully bring our beloved Ted Nugent Kamp for Kids here to Texas, as there is nothing better and more exciting for children than to be taught the joys of the shooting sports and the lessons of the great outdoors with family and friends.
We take our kids hunting so we don't have to hunt for our kids.
Ted Nugent is a Waco-based musician and television show host. Contact him directly at tednugent.com.
