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We just landed the other night from our trip to the Midwest in this blog post. We will talk about what we were up to last week. At the same time, it seemed like a blur then, there was a tremendous sense of accomplishment. We came, saw, and left an impact on all the communities we served. We met great partners, great parents, and even better kids. It was so much fun!

DAY 1 UPDATE!



Today started early, with my alarm waking me up at 2:15 am. When traveling with firearms, I always arrive at the airport early to avoid any hang-ups. All went smoothly, and I made it to my gate with plenty of time to spare. This is my first trip to the Midwest, and I planned my route that will zigzag from Kansas City, MO. Upon my landing, I had a problem finding my case. It was supposed to be delivered to the overweight bag office. I waited there for a few, and there was no sign. I quickly checked my phone for the Airtag in the case. There was a movement that pointed toward the carousel. As I got closer, I heard a crash, and it was my 60 lb case impacting the side of the carousel as it careened down. From my previous post, you will see it hit so hard that it smashed the lock, making it inoperable. Things happen, I get it. It was just not what I expected. The contents, which contain a projector, M4E1, and four handguns, appear to be just fine.

Highlights From The Road
 
Next week, we embark on another step forward. We are hopping on a plane and taking our show on the road. As exciting as it may be, the fear of the unknown is always in the back of my mind. I know that I am overthinking it, and everything will work out the way that we intend it to. We have taught our gun safety classes to kids in many different states. This will be no different. On any given month, we offer multiple classes in multiple locations within the same day. It is very common to do a class, break down, and drive to a new location. Then, set up again and teach another class. The difference between this and our upcoming Midwest tour is that I know the facilities. On tour, I will not know anything about the facilities, and there will be times when I will be crossing into a neighboring state. This is the nerve-wracking part, but I know that it will work out well. So far, the response has been positive. Families need educational opportunities, and that is what we specialize in.

Planes and Automobiles
 
The year of 2024 has been a busy one for us. We have expanded our growth in Washington, traveled the length of the West Coast to San Diego, and traveled to the Midwest for a tour. We are excited to announce that we will return to San Diego early next month for another chance to shoot BB guns with the kids of Southern California. We have been sponsored once again and asked to participate in the San Diego Gun Owners Gun Show. From previous blog posts, we went to San Diego at the beginning of March. One of our Board members and I hit the road and drove 16 hours one way to set up our Daisy Inflatable BB gun range. That weekend, the weather was questionable, which lowered the turnout. We were still able to teach a fair amount of kids, taught our very first Kids Firearm Safety 1 classes in California, and laid the groundwork for our return.

Going Back To California Again
 
When I sat down this morning to write a blog post, I had an idea that I wanted to write about. I write a blog post for the Kids S.A.F.E. Foundations' website every other week. I do it because I find it therapeutic, and I also want to help our SEO on our website. We use SEO to help reach the public and help fill classes. It is very much like trolling when fishing. We put out all of these different feelers via social media and our website in hopes that, eventually, families find our content and get involved with the important work that we do in the community. Today, I was going to write about revolvers. This changed immediately when I opened up my Facebook. Every morning, I look at my memories. This morning, there was a memory that popped up about the first time on the range with Ryker. A flood of emotions came over me from watching that short clip. There may have been tears shed, mostly out of pride. I was so proud of him and what we had accomplished as a team. It was arguably one of the most powerful moments of my career as the President of the foundation.

Memories are important reminders
 
It is that time of year again; it is Giving Tuesday. It is similar to a holiday for the Kids S.A.F.E. Foundation and many other nonprofits nationwide. This is a day where we all compete for support from the communities that we serve. Our gun safety classes for kids are solely funded by support from sponsors and the general public. Giving Tuesday is generally one of our biggest fundraisers of the year, that being said, we are terrible at fundraising. One of the issues that I struggle with is the ask; it is always hard for me to ask for help. I always just do and figure it out as I go. In normal years, this isn't an issue. We typically operate with a surplus and reserve funds. This year is not the case; this year has been the most challenging year for us yet. A slow economy and inflation have created a perfect storm for us. It has greatly impacted the work that we do to protect children. At the same time, we have expanded our outreach and grown the number of locations that we serve. We have been forced to operate in an extremely lean position. I feel that transparency is important, and we are currently a month away from having to take a strategic pause in operations. It is terrifying because of the lives attached to the work that we do.

Giving Tuesday 2024
 
I enjoy writing an update to create content that I can use in a few different ways. I like to repurpose the updates and turn them into blog posts for the Kids SAFE Foundation website. I hope to one day turn this content into a book chronicling my journey. I view it as a blueprint of sorts for effective advocacy. This morning, I started at 1 am due to a class late last night at the Albany Police Department. I was able to get on the road by 2 am.

My final destination was Escondido, CA. This is the second time we have been honored to be part of the San Diego County Gun Owners Gun Show this year. This is put on by a very effective advocacy group that has a great team of dedicated volunteers. Being from Oregon, I pay close attention to laws that are passed here because what happens in California doesn't stay in California. People tend to migrate north and wreak havoc on our gun laws.

Fun in the sun with BB guns
 
Earlier this summer, we had the privilege of touring the Midwest with the help of our friends at Vaultek Safe. They were the title sponsor and made it all possible for us to offer (11) of our unique Kids Firearm Safety Classes for kids in four Midwest states. This was the first time that we had planned a tour, and there was a tremendous amount of planning that went into this trip. It was a learning experience for sure. What we do already here in Oregon and Washington when it comes to scheduling classes worked out there. That was a huge win for us. While the focus was on providing free firearm safety classes for the public, there was also a video component to this tour.

Vaultek Safe has a video series that they did for their social media. It is called the Safer Together series. Previous instructors featured are Rob Pincus and Lena Miculek.Both are world-renowned, and I have met both. I look up to both. I have the great honor of being featured alongside them. When I was in Witchita before, we held our first class at Rainier Arms Firearms Academy. I met with the videographer from Vaultek Safe at an Airbnb. It was there that we filmed a short interview for the Safer Together series. It was there I was able to share details about the important work that we do with a partner that we are so thankful to have on a platform that was new to us. It was nerve-racking, yet I felt at peace with the message. After the interview, I was able to shoot some B-roll footage of their innovative products.

#Safertogether with Vaultek
 
We have had an extremely busy September we traveled almost the entire length of the West Coast. We were in Escondido, CA, for the beginning of the month, and then last weekend, we were in Centralia, WA. Our gun safety classes for kids take us to many different places. Tomorrow, we are headed back to the Midwest for an industry event. This will be our second time at Triggrcon. The first time was in 2019, when it was held near Bellevue, WA. Triggrcon is put on by our friends with Rainier Arms. Over the past few months, we have worked together by offering our Kids Firearm Safety 1 Classes at 3 of their locations. One in Witchita, KS, a location in OKC, and lastly, their location in Auburn, WA. They have a great team, and we appreciate all of their support. I have known the owner, John Hwang, for many years and am thankful to have him in our corner.

Headed to Triggrcon 2024
 
As 2024 comes to a close, we have some much-needed downtime from the hustle and bustle of classes and travel. It also gives us the time to reflect on the victories from 2024 and helps us learn from things we could have done better. Ultimately, when we reflect on 2024, we learn how to best improve our processes going into 2025 and beyond. The goal is to produce the best gun safety classes for kids possible. We had some really big wins this year and did some great things with some great people. We started 2024 with a trip to Las Vegas for the SHOT Show. It was fun to catch up with friends, meet with sponsors, and try to land new ones. That is the plan anyway. In full transparency, this year was one of the most challenging years that we have ever had fiscally. The economy has been difficult, and there has been a slump in the gun industry, with sales being down 40-60% across the board. This fact has affected our sponsors, which trickles down to us as an organization. I'm not complaining, every day that I get the honor of doing what we do is awesome.

The 2024 Year in Review
 
On a normal year, this weekend is my trek to GRPC for a conference. It wasn't easy for me to pick on what event to attend. I love gun rights, historical implications, and legislation. It is really my jam. I always have to balance advocacy and advancement. They do go hand in hand but are not mutually exclusive. I had to make a choice: do I play it safe with the known? Or do I roll the dice and try something new?

The final decision came down to how best to minimize the impact on our budget and to maximize our ability to increase our ability to reach more children because, at the end of the day. They are the reason for the mission. Our tour here in July with our friends Vaultek and Rainier Arms made the decision easier. The groundwork continues to be developed, and I am thankful for the experiences that I have been afforded here.

Our Trip to Triggrcon 2024
 
It seems like the past few weeks have been a blur. There was a trip to Southern California, a trip to Centralia, Washington, and a Trip to Wichita, Kansas. That was all within a month. We came home and set up for a few classes in the Eugene/Springfield area. We had a great weekend on the range, teaching our Kids Firearm Safety 2 Class. Now, it is time to repack for another trip back to Kansas City for another conference. This week, we will be heading to Columbia, Missouri, for a conference with the Midway Foundation for Youth Shooting Sports. We originally learned about the work that Midway did when we were invited to be a +1 for an event that was hosted last year at SHOT Show. I knew that they did a lot of shooting sports, but I did not know the scale of what they did. It was there that I sat and took notes on my phone. I was quite shocked about the amount of funding that is involved with their foundation. Their endowment has reached over 300 million. That is huge!

Back To The Midwest, Again
 
It is almost that time again! It is time for our yearly pilgrimage with about 50,000 other firearms enthusiasts to head to Las Vegas for the SHOT Show. This will be our fourth year in attendance, and we are looking forward to catching up with our sponsors and friends and hopefully bringing on more sponsors to help us with our important work. We are at a critical moment in time and need support desperately from the gun industry. A slow economy and a downturn in sales have impacted our organization. At the same time, we did more in 2024 than we had done in previous years. We had to do a lot more with less. There was a time when we were almost out of funding and would have to pause our operations. It was terrifying.

Viva Las Vegas 2025
 
When I travel, the days always start early. This morning began at 2:00 am. I prefer early mornings so I can promptly get to where I'm going. I appreciate you all taking the time to read these updates. It allows me to document my journey. I hope that my stories entertain and inspire others to chase their dreams. If I can do it, so can YOU!! Put in that work.

My journey to get here started back in 2014 and I have worked the steps ever since. We are nearing 30k kids reached in 9 states. This blows me away as I sit in a metal tube about 32k feet in the air somewhere near Colorado. Today is going to be a great day. I get the privilege of touring the facility at American Outdoor Brands. They are the parent company of Wheeler Tools and Tipton Gun Cleaning Supplies. Both our sponsors and I hope to maybe add more sponsors of the 21 brands that they own.

One thing that I will say about 2024 is that this has been one of the worst years for us funding-wise. I know that we are not alone. Many are hurting; I try to keep this in mind. I try to remain positive. I pray daily for the help that we need. I try to be strategic at every point. I try to increase efficiencies. This is all a learning experience for me. At the end of the day, I know that we all will weather this storm. We have done the most this year with the least, so I do take pride in that fact.

We are headed back to Missouri for a conference with Midway USA Foundation. I will be setting up a table to promote the work that we do. For that, I am truly excited. As nervous as I am, I am excited to talk about the foundation! We have done some important work, and I look forward to learning about the other organizations that are doing the work in our space.

Updates From The Road
 
As we near the end of 2024, we prepare for 2025. Part of the preparation is to reflect on 2024. What were our victories? What were some of our challenges? After every event that we do. We always do an after-action report. We look at what we did right and could have done better. This helps us be accountable and also helps us hone the processes that go into running the Kids S.A.F.E. Foundation. This helps our gun safety classes for kids run more efficiently. Our mantra for 2024 has been, can we run more efficiently? Efficiency has been one of the things that has kept us operating in 2024. It pains me to even write this blog post. As the President and founder of KSF, I have dedicated this season of my life to the service of others. We have made tremendous progress nationally, yet we still haven't gotten the support that we desperately seek. The gun industry is down 40-60% from the previous years. This has created a perfect storm for us as an organization. The continued rise in the costs of goods and services has put many of us in a position where we have to struggle to survive. I know that many are living in this same position. We are NOT an anomaly, but more of the norm. It is sad.

Why the Public Should Invest in the Kids S.A.F.E. Foundation
 

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