> Cross Trail Outfitters is a non-profit, faith-based youth hunting and fishing club that operates through self-supporting local units. Each unit is led by a full-time staff director with the title of “Outfitter.” The volunteer-driven group serves boys ages 7-20.

> As a relationship-based organization, as opposed to a numbers-driven or curriculum-based “program,” CTO has a powerful life impact on members. The organization seeks not just to pass along the hunting and fishing heritage, but also to promote traditional values, personal responsibility and the Christian faith.

> CTO’s advisory board includes top leaders in the fields of outdoors and youth ministry.

> The organization is expanding into five communities across Texas this year. CTO’s central office selected the leaders for these units after fielding more than 100 applications for the positions.

> The five expansion units for 2005 are Brazoria County, Highland Lakes, Lufkin, San Antonio and Tyler.

> The units are currently recruiting volunteers and financial support in their communities.

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-- FULL INFORMATION --

Cross Trail Outfitters, a Christian youth hunting and fishing club, is launching new units in five communities across Texas.
CTO president and founder Mike Arnold announced the expansion Wednesday in San Antonio as he introduced the leaders of the new local units.
The new CTO units are Brazoria County, Highland Lakes, Lufkin, San Antonio and Tyler. Arnold said each of these communities has an active sporting community, a wide range of local outdoors opportunities, and a large number of boys in the group’s age range.
The club offers year-round hunting and fishing opportunities, skills training, community service projects and fellowship for boys ages 7-20. Members are able to join the group on hunting and fishing trips every month of the year, including hunts for big game, small game and birds, as well as all kinds of fishing in freshwater and saltwater.
Arnold said CTO works with boys from all faiths, family backgrounds, economic classes and walks of life. The group offers need-based scholarships and personal fundraising opportunities for members and guests. “We’ve never had to turn a kid away just because he couldn’t afford it,” he said. “We also don’t beat anyone over the head with the Bible. We hope to make our faith attractive to them by example, and it’s one hundred percent their choice whether or not to embrace our beliefs.”
Arnold stressed that CTO is “not an anonymous program like most other youth hunting and fishing organizations these days,” but rather is “a relationship-based club.”
“We value each young man in CTO as a unique individual. Our goal is to build strong, long-term relationships with everyone involved, to help them grow as sportsmen, and to help them grow in faith, maturity, and integrity,” said Arnold.
Sheila Wilson-Hudson of Canyon Lake is a single mother whose 12-year-old son is a member of the CTO San Antonio unit. She said she has seen dramatic, positive changes in her son over the three months that he’s been involved.
“The outings are so much fun for Zech and he's learning about all the things I desire for him, especially how to see God's Hand all around,” said Wilson-Hudson. “I know this will be invaluable to him as he gets older and remembers the attention given to him. He has made a lot of friends and was able to invite a couple of his neighborhood buddies to go Deep Sea Fishing with him.”
CTO is a part of Mike Arnold Ministries, a non-profit organization based in San Antonio. Arnold has worked with youth in the outdoors for four years by hosting summer camps and other activities. Prior to entering outdoors-based ministry full time Arnold served as business development director of the Texas Trophy Hunters Association.
The organization has gained support from several leaders in the outdoor sports industry. Mike Schwiebert, communications director for Safari Club International, is one strong backer of the club.
“CTO is a great place for kids to learn about God's great outdoors. The club is ‘life-changing’ for many of the young people who participate,” said Schwiebert. “I cannot think of a better way for today's youth to spend their time than learning about hunting, fishing, and God in CTO.”
Schwiebert sits on the CTO advisory board, along with BASSMASTER Classic champion Jay Yelas, longtime outdoor writer and retired pastor Jim Darnell, and other noted leaders in youth ministry and the outdoors. The Alamo Chapter of Safari Club International recently donated $4,600 to the San Antonio CTO Unit to fund youth scholarships to the group’s summertime activities.
Local staff directors in CTO are known as “Outfitters.” The leaders of CTO selected the incoming Outfitters from more than 100 applicants for positions. “With so many applicants, we had a tough time whittling them down to these five. What we ended up with was the cream of the crop,” said Arnold. “The CTO board and I are very excited to bring these guys on staff. Each is an accomplished outdoorsman and very gifted in working with youth. These five men are the best of the best.”
The incoming Outfitters each went through a rigorous, two month selection process and graduated from a week-long Outfitter Training Boot Camp this summer.
“Each of our new Outfitters has a unique background that sets them apart for this position,” said Arnold. “They’re quite a team. I am honored to work with them to expand CTO to reach thousands more kids across Texas.”
The new CTO Outfitters are:
? S. Lee McKinney in Brazoria County, an ordained minister and former soldier in the Marine Force Recon special forces.
? Jeremy Overby in Lufkin, who has served as a staff youth minister for a number of churches.
? Earl Spurlock in the Highland Lakes area, an ordained minister and longtime youth ministry volunteer who most recently worked as a building inspector for the City of Austin.
? Gregory Flores in San Antonio, a former hunting and fishing TV show producer and longtime lay minister.
? Chad Richardson in Tyler, who has had a career as a youth case worker and house parent for a number of institutions.
With the exception of the San Antonio unit, which has been run by Arnold to date, the units are not yet recruiting youth members.
“We’ve found out the hard way that when we do just one youth outing, the word-of-mouth referrals can be almost overwhelming,” said Arnold. “The other day in San Antonio we had a volunteer bring a boy from his neighborhood on a fishing trip. When he got home from work the next day, there were seven boys waiting for him in his front yard, wanting to come on the next trip, and four voice mails from single mothers who wanted to get their sons involved. It’s just that way. It’s a wonderful concern to have, but it’s still a concern.”
In the meantime, Arnold said, the local units are raising funds and recruiting and training volunteers, until they have secured the resources necessary to “go live.”
CTO maintains a comprehensive website at www.TeamCTO.org that includes contact information for each of the local units.
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-- CONTACT –

Website: www.TeamCTO.org Central Office – Mike Arnold, 210-286-4875, marnold@teamcto.org Brazoria County – Lee McKinney, 832-496-1970, lmckinney@teamcto.org Highland Lakes – Earl Spurlock, 512-423-6248, espurlock@teamcto.org Lufkin – Jeremy Overby, 936-674-7760, joverby@teamcto.org San Antonio – Gregory Flores, 210-269-6590, gflores@teamcto.org Tyler – Chad Richardson, 903-894-9223, crichardson@teamcto.org

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(Contact Mike Arnold at 210-286-4875 or marnold@teamcto.org.)
- Text of this release in MS Word or TXT format.
- Professional, high-res photos of CTO activities and staff. (e-mail or mailed on CD)
- CTO logo graphic file.
- Fall 2005 CTO Prospectus
- Interviews with CTO advisors, leaders and staff.
- References to youth participants, parents, participating landowners, donors, pastors and advisory board members.