The NRA YHEC Mid-America Expansion Project is off to a great start in 2012 with more and more Youth Hunter Education Challenge events taking place across the Midwest. Thanks to YHEC Program Coordinator Susan Hill for the following report and photo from another first-time YHEC event, this time in Kansas.

On March 30, 2012, the CHIEF homeschool group conducted their first annual Youth Hunter Education Challenge event at the Tall Grass Hunting Lodge in Junction City, Kansas. Event Directors Justin and LaNae Jackson, along with their 10 children, organized the event and gathered volunteer support. There were 64 participants and 40 volunteers in attendance.

Kirk Cherry, owner of the Tall Grass Hunting Lodge, was very generous in allowing the group to use his beautiful facility and volunteering to help run this first-time YHEC. Ed Savage with Tall Grass also helped to organize and run the event with Kirk, Justin and LaNae. Along with the volunteers, they worked to ensure that everyone in attendance had a safe and wonderful time at YHEC.

This first-time YHEC consisted of four events: Shotgun, Rifle, Wildlife Identification and Hunter Safety Trail. Many of the participants were new hunters and shooters who were introduced to the shooting sports through YHEC.

Thanks again to Larry and Brenda Potterfield of MidwayUSA for making this event possible.

To learn more about the Youth Hunter Education Program or to get one started in your area, visit www.nrayhec.org.

Sarah Cox receives her Refuse To Be A Victim participation certificate from Ed O'Carroll.

Last month we told you how Sarah Cox, an alumna of the NRA's Youth Education Summit, was bringing the Refuse To Be A Victim® program to her hometown.

"It was during the National Youth Education Summit that I was introduced to the Refuse To Be A Victim® seminar. When I understood the objectives of this program, I immediately knew that I wanted to bring this award-winning personal safety course to my community," said Sarah.

With the help of Executive Counselor Ed O'Carroll, a Captain with the Fairfax County Police Department here in Virginia, Sarah did just that. She coordinated a Refuse To Be A Victim® seminar as well as an Instructor Development Workshop in Southern Pines, North Carolina last weekend.

The workshops were incredibly successful - 54 people attended the seminar and 11 of those, including Sarah, went on get their instructor certification.

Sarah has also been busy promoting NRA programs by speaking at local Friends of NRA Banquets and teaching gun safety to children through the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program.

Keep up the great work, Sarah!

For more information on the Refuse To Be A Victim® Program including how to become an Instructor, click here or send an email to refuse@nrahq.org. You can also find a seminar or training in your area by searching for a course at www.nrainstructors.org.

Through a special pricing program for NRA Certified Instructors, Henry is offering their American-made rifles in both adult and youth models at discounted rates. These .22 caliber rifles are perfect for plinking, hunting small game, and participating in the Winchester/NRA Marksmanship Qualification Program. They are also perfect for as training aids or for use during the NRA Basic Rifle course.

“We will continue to make our rifles available to instructors at these special prices in appreciation of the efforts they are making on behalf of firearms safety, our right to bear arms and the firearms industry,” said Anthony Imperato, President of Henry Repeating Arms.

The following rifles are available through the special pricing program, with an order limit of two guns per instructor:

• Henry Lever Action .22
• Henry Lever Octagon .22
• Henry Lever Action Youth .22
• Henry Acu-Bolt .22
• Henry Mini Bolt Youth .22

To view pricing, download your order form and get more details on how to order, visit this Special Offers page. For more information or questions regarding this offer, contact Henry at info@henryrepeating.com or 201-858-4400.

You asked for it, Android users. And the NRA listened.

Earlier this month we told you about the NRA app that can be used to find NRA near you to help find NRA Basic Firearms Training courses, NRA Business Alliance members, NRA-affiliated clubs & associations, Friends of NRA events, gun shows, places to shoot, and much more.

This app was available only on iOS devices, but is now available for Andriod platforms as well - free of charge.

Other great features of this app include viewing NRA News programming, where users can view archives or search videos by issue. You can also get feeds for the NRAblog, so you have quick access to our top stories wherever you are.

A Community section offers links to each division’s Facebook or Twitter page, plus a state-by-state rep finder. Users can also use the Take Action section to join the NRA, register to vote, donate or contact the NRA.

Download the free NRA app to your Android device today from Google Play or visit the iTunes store to get the app on your iPhone or iPad.

2012 NRA Y.E.S. participants to be announced at end of the month

The NFL Draft isn't the only thing happening at the end of this month. The NRA Youth Education Summit (YES) will be announcing its 2012 participants at the end of April following the conclusion of the Pennsylvania Y.E.S.

The National Y.E.S. is a once in a lifetime seven-day, all expenses paid leadership seminar here in Washington, D.C. Open to any sophomore or junior with at least a 3.00 grade point average, Y.E.S. is an opportunity for today's youth to receive first hand knowledge of how the federal government really works through activities such as:

• Guest speakers at NRA Headquarters and the National Firearms Museum
  
• Competitive debates with other high school students from across the nation
  
• Informative tours at historic sites and monuments in and around Washington, D.C.

For a few weeks now, NRA's Field Operations staff have been pouring through the applications to narrow down this year's class and finalize their choices. The announcement can not be made until after the Pennsylvania Y.E.S. however, since two students from the event are selected to attend the week-long summit in D.C.

In addition to the educational experience over the seven days, Y.E.S. features opportunities to aid with future educational experiences through scholarships.

For those who excel during the week's activities, there are $10,000 worth of scholarships to be had at its conclusion. Afterward, for those who share what they've learned with their communities, there's an additional $20,000 in scholarships up for grabs.

For more information about the NRA Youth Education Summit, send an email to YES@nrahq.org or call 1-800-672-3888 ext. 1342.