Joining me for our annual visit to talk about an annual event that is super fun, the KOFA annual kids free paper target Shoot. We've got Mike Brooks Leslie Allen in the studio with us from KOFA and I want to start first of all with our little quick referral.
What is KOFA?
Who wants to answer that question ofa COFA?
Is you move that? Mike to you?
Mike, Yeah, go ahead, pull it. I know it doesn't feel like it's gonna pull, but it'll pull. Yeah.
Just manipulate that bad way?
Is that better?
That's perfect? There you go.
KOFA COFA is Christian Outdoor Fellowship of.
America And what do you guys do?
We do all kinds of activities for adults, families and kids. This particular event is going to be a free kid's paper turkey target shoot. Say that ten times real fast. And this is specifically for kids. Leslie Water the age group on app.
Eight to fifteen.
Now, wait a minute, even before you answered that, I knew the answer to that because I've done this interview with you for so many years. What year is this for the KOFA Turkey to or could shoot sixteen sixteen. How many kids do you think you guys have cycled through there?
Thousands? I bet thousands of kids.
I beat lesly. How does the whole thing work?
So kids eight to fifteen compete for shooting at paper targets to win, and there are four age categories eight to nine, ten to eleven, twelve to thirteen, fourteen to fifteen, and so the kids in each category win, you know, have an opportunity to win a frozen turkey for Thanksgiving, and there's other prizes too, there's gift cards and it's a really cool event.
So how many of the kids that come in have never shot a gun before? And by the way, these are bebguns. They're not you know, they're not going to be no cow exactly. These are small bbguns. They are like perfect, you know, starter weapons. As we say, how many kids do you think have never shot a gun when they come to this event?
I would say probably a quarter of them, and a lot of parents have never shot any kind of firearm either, and they're they're intrigued and some of them actually want to try shoot the gun themselves. So, you know, we get a lot of people that are first timers, but we get a lot of experienced kids that their parents have gotten a BB gun for Christmas or their birthyar or something like that.
That's impossible because they would shoot their eye out if they had done that much.
Hopefully not hopefully not.
Well, I loves that because this is kind of an opportunity if you are firearm curious to come out and get a little lesson on simple firearm safety about where to point the barrel and all that stuff.
Well, we have hundred instructors that are teaching the kids a ten minute course of gun safety, which if they get hunter ed, they would definitely get that for six to eight hours. But this is an event that parents could actually bring the children feel safe. For the children, it's going to be a fun event and they're going to get thoroughly taught about aiming a gun, trigger pull all that stuff.
Okay, Leslie, what do kids get out of this?
Well, it gives them an opportunity to spend time with your parents' grandparents, aunt suckles with friends, and time off their electronics and participating in some outdoor related activities. And like you said, it's a really safe and fun environment for the kids.
I'm sorry this is at the what is it called the Colloid Venture Point. That's what I'm trying to remember. I was like, I know, I know the name, and I'm trying to do this interview on memory alone, just to like test myself because i feel like we've done this.
But where is this, Leslie?
So the address is ten four fifty five West sixth Avenue Sweet one fifty in Lakewood. So it's it's right near Kipling and Highway six on the frontage road on the north side of the freeway.
Okay, Now, what time do people need to show up to sign up?
Nine o'clock so when it starts, they can show up any time, but they need to be there by twelve fifteen in order to participate in the last competition.
And that is what the last window of the last portunity. Okay, and then you guys give out the turkeys the same day, yes, just in time for Thanksgivings. Now, if you had repeat winners, I've never asked you that before.
We have. And it was a couple gals, you know, young gals.
Obviously their parents are very much involved in the shooting. But yeah, two sisters, different age groups, one twice.
So somebody just asked on the text line an interesting question. Do you have to be a Christian to participate?
No, so it's open to anybody. We were trying to get kids off their electronics. Man, that's really important, so no, just come down have fun. We have a rock climbing wall, we have archery, we have a crass room so kids can be kids that hang around together. Parents love what they're seeing, whether their children. I know it's indoors, but it's an outdoor event.
Now in a.
Bigger picture, how does the Christian Park come in INTOKOFA?
Well, we're very family oriented and we like having families do stuff in the outdoors. And God created the world. We want them to enjoy it. We don't hit you on ahead with a twenty pound Bible or anything like that. We just want people just to enjoy what God's created.
Okay, go ahead and get signed up. The day of this is super fun. Somebody's going to win an eighteen to nineteen pound frozen turkey.
You know.
I was joking with a friend of mine and he was having chat GPT helping make his Thanksgiving list, and chat GPT said, oh Christmas, Eve.
Go to the store and get your roast.
And I was like, are you kidding me, Especially with an eighteen or nineteen pound turkey, you gotta.
Have time to let it thaw. Gotta let it though.
What are some of the other events you guys do during the year, In case people want to find out more, I put a link to Kofa's website and I just thought some of the stuff coming up was.
Kind of cool.
Okay, So we just got done with the men and Women's l Hunt, which was very successful. We have events starting after well, we have a breakfast first Saturday every month.
At Golden Corral, Oh, very nice.
And we have events for families. For example, we do Dutch oven, we do ATV rides, we have survival classes.
What else do we have?
Least self defense archery for kids, b begun practice for kids, A.
Little bit of everything. And that's kind of what I wanted to make the point. It's not just about shooting, but a lot of it is outdoors and hunting and stuff related. Now, did we talk about the Golden Corral free meal?
Did we talk about that?
Well, let's talk about that.
Let's talk about are all your sponsors?
Okay, So Golden Coral, the one in Sheridan, those children that come will twelve and under, we'll get a certificate for a free breakfast at Golden Corral, and so you just have to come down. We'll stamp the certificate. Kids can go enjoy the events and have fun. We got Mile High Graphics, which has been incredibly good to KOFA. They have wrapped our trailers, given us Brochers banners. It's been really good. And now Culver's is coming on board with us.
I love culver the one in Lakewood, right, Leslie, Yes.
If I have to choose junk food, I am choosing Culver's.
Rights is amazing.
She's kurds anyone GE's curls.
Mike Brooks, Leslie Allen from KOFA, thank you for coming in today to talk about the event. It's going to be another barn burner. It is this Saturday at Colorado's Adventure Point in Lakewood on six Avenue between near Kipling and Highway six on the Frontage Road. I also put a link to their website on the blog, so if you're driving you don't remember any of it, just go to mandy'sblog dot com and look for that. I appreciate you guys coming in again and I'll see you next year.
Thank you Mandy,