Alabama's New Shooting Sports Scholarship Fund
A new partnership between the Alabama Wildlife Federation and the Thomas & Cindy Harris Foundation is helping young people across Alabama experience the state's rich outdoor heritage — and Quail Forever is proud to be part of the effort.
The Thomas & Cindy Harris Foundation Shooting Sports Scholarship Fund removes barriers for youth who want to learn the fundamentals of safe and responsible shooting. Through the program, Alabama youth gain free access to some of the state's premier shooting sports facilities — including Selwood Farm, Orvis Shooting Grounds at Pursell Farms, and Lower Wetumpka Shotgun Sports Club, among others.
Building Access
The scholarship is designed for youth who have the interest but not the opportunity to get started in shooting sports. Each participant receives hands-on instruction in firearm safety, gun care, and wingshooting, while also gaining an introduction to the broader outdoor lifestyle — a first step towards creating the next generation of hunters and conservationists.
"Many Alabama youth have the interest, but not the opportunity, to learn shooting sports," said Tim Gothard, Executive Director of the Alabama Wildlife Federation. "This scholarship program creates access, builds confidence, and ensures a safe and positive first experience."
Preserving Alabama's Outdoor Traditions
For the Harris family, the program represents both a gift and a legacy. "Outdoor traditions are a key part of Alabama's heritage," said Thomas Harris, a Quail Forever board member. "This program helps preserve those traditions while empowering the next generation to embrace the outdoors."
By connecting youth to safe, structured shooting opportunities, the initiative supports Quail Forever's mission of conserving quail, pheasants, and other wildlife by improving habitat, increasing public access, providing education, and advocating for conservation. The organization works to create landscapes with quality habitat that support wild, sustainable populations of upland game birds, accessible to future generations of hunters and conservationists.
Programs like The Thomas & Cindy Harris Foundation Shooting Sports Scholarship Fund lay the foundation for future hunters, conservationists, and land stewards.
Learn More and Apply
Applications for the Thomas & Cindy Harris Shooting Sports Scholarship Fund are now open. Interested families can learn more or apply online.
Through partnerships like this, Quail Forever, Alabama Wildlife Federation, and the Thomas & Cindy Harris Foundation are working together to ensure our country's outdoor traditions — and the conservation ethic that runs through them — continue to thrive for generations to come.