MO Kids Outdoors About Us

Statistics in Missouri and nationwide indicate a continuing decline in the
number of people of all ages participating in outdoor sports activities.
Some of the contributing factors are that a lot of the people who
participated as kids no longer do. Maybe due to a lack of time or to the
declining amount of hunting acreage available. Because they as adults
no longer participate, their kids have no one to show them how to enjoy
the outdoors. Harry Hoffert is a resident of Sedalia, Missouri and a long
time outdoor enthusiast. He’s always been an advocate for the youth in
our area, and had put on several very successful fishing events for
kids, focused not so much on prizes for biggest or most fish, but
moreso on enjoying the outdoor experience. After coming in contact
with organizations such as Outdoors Without Limits he realized that he
could bring these two concepts together: Opening up the outdoors to
physically challenged kids as well as raising money for child-centered
organizations, then open it up to all kids who just need a little “outdoor
mentoring”.

Harry realized there was no way he could accomplish this all by himself
so he set out to recruit like-minded people from various fields—from the
construction trades, to children’s services to the media, and more. Each
bringing their own experience or organizational expertise to the table.
These 11 board members created MoKids Outdoors! We are dedicated
to using Education, Expedition and Conservation to put kids on a path
to a lifetime of enjoyment of outdoor activities, and to provide those
outdoor experiences for kids with challenges that would otherwise
prevent them from enjoying what the rest of us have taken for granted
for too long.

The MO Kids Outdoors events are open to any child 15 and under with
parental supervision. And 50% of our registered slots are for physically
challenged kids.

Our first event generated so much positive response from the local
community in Missouri and the outdoor community nationwide that we
were able to raise money that we shared with St. Jude Children’s
Research Hospital, The Children’s Therapy Center and Child Safe of
Central Missouri.

MoKids Outdoors is in the process of becoming certified as a 501C3
Non-Profit with the purpose of providing outdoor adventures for kids
and organizing fund-raising events for local and national Child-Centered
non-profit organizations.

The types of events we organize are as simple as a day in the park
fishing, or as complex as the Spring Youth Turkey Hunt and the Fall
Youth Deer Hunt. These require a lot more time and energy because it
requires coordination of the guides, landowners, kids and parents. The
2 hunts wind up with a dinner & auction. Our very first one raised over
$17,000!

Fall 2008 will see the first Outdoor Expo held in Sedalia in a long time.
We feel we can make this a huge success, but we need your help!

Some of our sponsors donate time, some donate money, products or
supplies and all of our sponsors receive recognition at all of our events.
Some sponsors get involved because they want to see us accomplish
our goals, while others donate because of the kid-centered charities we
support and still others do it because they’ve seen the faces of the kids
when they catch their first fish, or harvest their first turkey or deer. Your
donation of money, time, supplies or merchandise for the auction or
door prizes will touch countless lives including the kids’ parents. One of
our requirements is that all kids must be accompanied by at least 1
parent. Then there are their children and grandchildren for generations
to come as we re-learn to enjoy life outdoors away from TV, computers
and X-Boxes. The same ripple effect goes for the kids helped by the
money sent to our supported charities.

How soon can you make a difference in a child’s life? How soon can
you pick up the phone to volunteer or sponsor an event?