NASHVILLE, Tenn. -

For going the extra mile to provide the great outdoors for anyone, the NWTF's Red River Longbeards Chapter of Burkburnett, Texas, and the Pease River Chapter of Crowell, Texas, were recently honored with the Best Special Event Award at the Federation's 34th annual National Convention and Sport Show. The convention, sponsored by MidwayUSA, is taking place until Feb. 21 in Nashville.

"We've been involved with Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF for about five years," said Gibby Gibson, volunteer with the Red River Longbeards Chapter. "We have a passion for helping disabled military veterans and this year we were able to host nine at our event."

Kimberly Foster, volunteer with the Pease River Chapter, added, "Winning the award was kind of overwhelming for me; I'm not sure it's really sunk in. The award is great, but the time we got to spend outdoors with the disabled veterans was just awesome."

Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF ensures that people with disabilities are afforded the opportunity to spend time outdoors and form valuable friendships along the way. In 2009, Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF hosted 378 events nationwide that helped more than 8,000 participants enjoy a day of fun in the outdoors.

"Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF emphasizes all the abilities that our members possess, not their disabilities," said Illana Burkhart, Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF program coordinator. "The Red River Longbeards and Pease River chapters have taken the lead in their area for helping outdoor enthusiasts with disabilities enjoy being outside."

Through dynamic partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, spending more than $306 million to conserve 14 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.

The Federation works to increase interest in the outdoors by bringing new hunters and conservationists into the fold through outdoor education events and its outreach programs - Women in the Outdoors, Wheelin' Sportsmen, JAKES and Xtreme JAKES.

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