On the cool Saturday morning of Nov. 16, approximately 23 youth of the Miss-Lou had to wake up before daylight to the start of a very exciting day.

This group of young boys and girls got the opportunity participate in the first of many planned hunting trips and outdoor activities by the newly formed “Miss-Lou Kids Outdoors.”

The idea of starting this group came from the brainstorming of local parents and generous volunteers looking for a way to get local youth involved in activities they might otherwise never have a chance to do.

Some had never been hunting before, and others had only been a few times.

This very excited group of area youth consisted of special needs children with different intellectual disabilities, along with other young boys and girls that had the same goal of getting to see a deer in the woods with the possibility of getting a clear shot.

They got up early Saturday morning along with an adult volunteer or parent and went to different areas of Adams County. Then after a cookout at the Sibley Campgrounds, they went hunting again that afternoon.

This hunt would not have been possible without the generosity of several local land owners who allowed these young people to hunt on their property. It was a great day of fun and fellowship between the volunteers, parents and families.

Altogether, the group harvested seven deer for the day, and for most it was their first kill. What an exciting time for all of them, and the lucky ones were Nicole Carroll, Chandler Warren, Mason Pierce, Hunter Nations, Garrett Green and Hunter Carroll.

About two weeks before the hunt, the adult volunteers, parents and youth sold raffle tickets to help raise funds needed to put on the hunt and did very well.

We would like to thank generous local businesses that donated prizes and food for this event.

A special thank you goes to Sibley Campgrounds owners David Hoover and Justin Gordon for allowing us to use the campground as our meeting place for this fun event.

Many other outdoor activities are planned during this hunting season with a big hunt planned in January and other outdoor activities throughout the year.

All this is made possible from donations of money and prizes from generous businesses and individuals and the numerous hours of planning by all the parents and volunteers of the Miss-Lou Outdoor Kids program.

If you have a son or daughter who might be interested in participating or if you want to donate prizes, monetary donations or use of your land for activities to help this organization, please contact Allen Pettis at 601-807-4001 or Mike Green at 601-807-9216.

Ricky Warren is a parent and volunteer for the Miss-Lou Kids Outdoors Program.