Hello, I would like to tell you a story about a teenage girl who has Autism and struggles each day to try and fit in at her Middle School. Unlike most girls, Julie doesn t have any friends that call her up after school to come over and play. Julie has never had classmates reply to her invitations to her birthday party, it s always just family for cake and presents. Julie even tries riding the normal school bus instead of the special needs school bus to try and fit in, but most of the time she still gets teased for her Autism and comes home with tears that Dad has to wipe away while explaining that kids are mean, and that she really is a special little girl. The only time Julie feels equal to her peers is on an archery range. Teaching Julie how to shoot a bow at 8 years old was the inspiration for my becoming a Junior Olympic Archery Coach and founding Hononegah Archery. Now at 13 years old Julie can hit a lifesaver at 10 meters with a bow that has no sights! When I started teaching archery classes 5 years ago something else happened. Julie finally had something in common with mainstream kids who came to our classes. For the first time ever Julie was having fun and spending time with other kids without being picked on for being different! Julie started to meet new friends who also have special needs, like Daniel an 8 year old boy who held his bow with his prosthetic arm. We learned a lot from Daniel. His parents taught us that if kids with prosthetics are forced to use them by parents, they often tend to throw their prosthetics away when they turn 18. Since parents aren t forcing prosthetic use anymore, throwing them away diminishes quality of life for the student. So Daniel s parents look to activities like archery to give him encouragement to use his arm. Daniel took archery classes with us for many months and he was the 1 st recipient of a Hononegah Archery Lesson Scholarship for students with disabilities. Today we have adults like Andrew who also have special needs in our classes. Andrew is in his 40s and participates in softball and bowling for Special Olympics. Andrew was our first adult to be awarded a Hononegah Archery Lesson Scholarship for adults with disabilities! We teach our weekly classes in Rockton, IL and at Stronghold Castle in Oregon, IL. We also travel to Indian Settler Rendezvous dressed as Hononegah Indians and set up a 3D animal longbow range. We dress as Robin Hood and set our longbow range up at Renaissance Faires too. Coach Oster licenses school teachers for grades 3 12 for the National Archery in the Schools Program and Scholastic 3D Archery competitive teams where college scholarship money is available! Nothing better than special needs students competing from the same shooting line as their mainstream peers! On July 14th 2018 from 2pm - 10pm we are hosting the 1st Annual "Julie's Archers for Autism Tournament and Fundraiser" benefiting the University of Wisconsin Waisman Center Autism Research Department and Hartley Labs. Julie participated in 3 different research programs with the Waisman Center. When Hononegah Archery obtained our non-profit status last November I asked my board to vote the Waisman Center as our primary cause to support! There will be all kinds of conservation and youth sports information booths for the public to visit at the event. We also plan on a huge kid focused area including a bounce house, face painting, and a coloring station. We will be open from 2pm - 4pm to ONLY kids and adults with special needs and their families so that sensory sensitive kids are able to visit us with less activity. The plan is to get school aides and nurses to volunteer that day so that every family knows if they find a person in a certain blue t-shirt that person has special training to help with any loved ones handicap at the event regardless of severity. Rockton Settlers Park is the venue. There will be food vendors, I am looking for a band, and I am trying to find a sponsor to do fireworks ($1500 minimum for a show) for the kids at 10pm.
As a fun way to sponsor "Julie's Archers for Autism" we are asking for interested companies to purchase a 3D animal target for the archery tournament on July 14 th 2018. Your company logo will appear in our advertising with credit for donating the animal. These Rinehart 3D Animal Targets have replaceable target cores, so they will last us well beyond the tournament for many Rendezvous and Renaissance Faires to come, and your company name stays with the animal! I will forward a flyer when we get past initial planning stages to that point in advertising. Thank you for your consideration!!! Jeremy Oster President and Founder 815.742.3995 Hononegah.archery@gmail.com Honoarchery.org Hononegah Archery buys local targets from the Janesville Wisconsin Rinehart Targets Factory. The prices listed on this sponsor sheet reflect our discounted price for being a non-profit. Checks should be made and mailed to: 313 W. Mechanic St. Rockton, IL 61072 $200 donors may choose a Rabbit, Raccoon, Mosquito, Small Black Bear, Stegosaurus or Badger
$300 sponsors can choose a Turkey, Red Fox, Coyote, Black Cobra, or Green Cobra $400 sponsors may chose from a Pheasant, Razorback Boar, or Black Panther $500 sponsors may choose from a Cinnamon Bear, Leopard, Standing Stone Sheep, Grey Howling Wolf, Alligator, or White Howling Wolf
$600 donors may choose from a Mule Deer, or Velociraptor $700 donors may choose from a Black Bear, Mountain Grizzly Bear, or Polar Bear $1300 sponsors the larger animals, Caribou or Standing Elk $1400 would sponsor the Red Stag $1600 would sponsor the Buffalo
$3000 would sponsor our main attraction, a 10 foot tall Sasquatch! & Julie s Archers for Autism 313 Mechanic St. Rockton, IL 61072 Hononegah.archery@gmail.com Honoarchery.org Hononegah Archery on FB Contact us for our non-profit letter or W9 if needed.