Friends of NRA isn’t made up of just one type of person. The diversity of where they come from, their hobbies, their occupation— with each person it varies. Every volunteer, every donor, every committee, every business, every state has a reason why they call themselves a Friend of NRA. These are real people with real reasons why they choose to get involved with their local Friends of NRA banquet.

"Collectively, we are called Friends of NRA,
but each person has their own story as to why
and Friends of NRA wants to hear it."

In a new effort to show the country just who we really are, Friends of NRA is launching a nationwide “I am Friends of NRA” campaign where individuals can submit their stories, pictures, and videos stating why they call themselves a Friend of NRA.

We are asking every one of our volunteers and supporters to help us tell our Friends of NRA story. Every person makes a difference, whether their contribution is large or small, it has an impact on the future of Friends of NRA, The NRA Foundation, and the future of our shooting traditions. By telling your story, and by allowing Friends of NRA the opportunity to tell it to others, we hope to inspire that same passion and commitment inside you into others, and in return, hope they too will give back to their communities. After all, Friends of NRA wouldn’t be here today without “Friends”.

Be an inspiration to others, and send us your “I am Friends of NRA” story. If your story is selected, we’ll showcase it along with many of the other entries through our promotional products, websites, and social medias, among other mediums.

Help us make more Friends. Email, Facebook, tweet, even snail-mail us your interesting, funny, sad, patriotic, whatever it may be, Friends of NRA narrative along with the following information:

• Photos:
  A few quality photos of you looking at the camera either wearing your Friends of NRA attire, participating in your hobby, or in your work environment. And at least one photo of you from the shoulders up on a plain white background.

• Download the Photo Release Form
  Download FORM and turn it back in when you submit your story and photos.

Then EMAIL your information to I am Friends of NRA (preferred), shoot us a message on Facebook, or mail it to:

I am Friends of NRA
11250 Waples Mill Road
Fairfax, VA 22030

Traditions Submission Guidelines

Articles

Should you decide to pen the article yourself, please follow theses guidelines:

• Article must be a minimum of 300 words
• Article must be written in third person (no "we" or "I")
• Article must be related to or associated with the National Rifle Association, The NRA Foundation or Friends of NRA
• Article must be submitted with accompanying photograph(s)
• Each submitted photograph must include a caption describing action taking place and identifying all people (full names and titles)
• If sent digitally, photograph(s) must be a minimum resolution of 300 dpi
• If sent through regular mail, article and photograph(s) will not be returned
• Not all article submissions are guaranteed to print in Traditions
• Author's full name and contact info (phone, address, email) must be included
• Please specify if you would like to use an alias

Story Ideas

We understand that not everyone is a writer. If you have a newsworthy story idea you would like to share, you can let us know, too. Please include the following information when submitting your idea:

• Your name, address, phone number, email, etc.
• Detailed description of story idea at hand - Who, What, When, Where (we can investigate Why and How)
• Contact information for at least 2 people connected to the story
• Contact info consists of name, phone number(s), email(s)

Please submit all articles and ideas via mail, email or fax. Call for questions. Send to:

NRA
Traditions Magazine
Attn: Friends Update Editor
11250 Waples Mill Rd.
Fairfax, VA 22030

(800) 276-3888 x1353 or (703) 267-1353

(703) 267-3743 FAX

EMAIL Friends Update Editor

The Friends of NRA Standard Merchandise Package is a staple at every Friends of NRA event throughout the country. With each new year comes a new Standard Merchandise Package full of the newest and exciting products customized and exclusively made for Friends of NRA. Leading the way every year are the highly-anticipated Print of the Year, Knife of the Year, and Gun of the Year.

To give our most devoted Friends a sneak-peak of the 2011 Friends of NRA Standard Merchandise Package, we've been releasing these much anticipated items a piece at a time, starting with the Print of the Year throughout the month of September. To top it off, you've been chatting with us directly about it on Twitter and Facebook. You've made your guesses,seen our hints, and now it's time for the big reveal!

We're proud to present the 2011 Friends of NRA Print of the Year.

Unbearable Itch
by Dan Brown

The widely-acclaimed and five-time Friends of NRA outdoor artist Dan Smith transports us to a rare moment in the wild with the 2011 Friends of NRA Print of the Year “Unbearable Itch”. Using his signature attention to detail, Smith depicts the powerful yet graceful grizzly as he delights in the simple pleasure of discovering the perfect scratching tree.

The 2011 Friends of NRA Print of the Year "Unbearable Itch" is sure to enchant outdoor and art lovers alike, as Smith brilliantly unifies the wholesome yet amusing scene with a picturesque mountain woods on a gray summer’s day.

“Grizzly bears exhibit numerous behaviors if you are patient and fortunate during observation,” said Smith. “The look of relief and satisfaction on this large boar’s face while scratching his back was irresistible.”

This limited edition giclee is on stretched canvas, printed with fade resistant inks and encompassed in a 2" coffee bean wood grain frame with Oatmeal linen liner. Measures approximately 20 1/2" x 25 1/2" with frame. This edition signed by the artist and sequentially numbered through 1,125. Printed and framed in the USA. Exclusive to the Friends of NRA program.

Enjoy the 2010 Friends of NRA Season, and start getting pumped for 2011!

The National Rifle Association has selected 45 students to participate in its 2010 Youth Education Summit (Y.E.S.), a seven-day, expense-paid educational experience in Washington, D.C. While in the nation's capital, rising high school juniors and seniors will learn the significance of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights and the importance of being an active citizen. Students tour the U.S. Capitol, the National Archives Museum, the Pentagon, the NRA National Firearms Museum, and many of the memorials and monuments in Washington, D.C.

Students also have the opportunity to compete for up to $10,000 in college scholarships, awarded to those who excel during the week’s activities, including individual speeches and debates. Students also compete for a $20,000 scholarship after they attend Y.E.S. Each participant has eight months to develop a portfolio describing how he or she promoted NRA programs, such as the Eddie Eagle GunSafe® program, in the participant’s community.

The students listed below were selected from numerous qualified applicants from across the country. Applicants were required to complete an extensive application, which included submission of an essay about the Second Amendment, a personal statement, transcripts and three personal recommendations.

2010 Y.E.S. Participants

• Russell Babb - Highland, UT
• Nayar Barron - Weiser, ID
• Rachel Beck - Lockport, IL
• Brandy Blanton - Newberry, SC
• Joseph Bliss - Sioux Falls, SD
• Brooke Bradshaw - Holtville, CA
• Kelly Bogart - Merrick, NY
• Alyssa Campbell - Huber Heights, OH
• Janson Card - Spokane, WA
• Andrew Clark - Carmel, CA
• Nathanael Coffman - O'Fallon, MO
• Catherine Cox - Southern Pines, NC
• Amanda Cramer - Colorado Springs, CO
• Erin DuBose - Anthony, FL
• Tyler Ebert - Weston, WI
• Stacey Eller - Rochester Hills, MI
• Elizabeth Gonzalez - Chesterton, IN
• Kaitlyn Higgins - Weiser, ID
• Rachel High - Tucson, AZ
• Eugene Huang-Lee - Voorhees, NJ
• Reed Hubbell - Crawford, CO
• Henry Jentz - Cincinnati, OH
• Carly Johns - Anaconda, MT
• Phillip Lenavitt - Fort Sam Houston, TX
• Breanna Lincoski - Daisytown, PA
• Luke Macfarlan - Siloam Springs, AR
• Michael Matheson - Cedar City, UT
• Heather McCormac - Citrus Heights, CA
• Jessica Mills - Collierville, TN
• Ryan Montgomery - Pendleton, OR
• Caleb Moore - Elizabethtown, KY
• Arika Morgan - Lemmon, SD
• Arielle Mueller - Wayzata, MN
• Julia Parker - Merrimack, NH
• Wendy Pittman - Autaugaville, AL
• Evan Poliquin - Auburn, ME
• Alexandrea Provine - Oro Valley, AZ
• Samantha Salazar - West Seneca, NY
• Zachary Sawyer - Poultney, VT
• Victoria Schlotzhauer - New Franklin, MO
• Casey Stengel - Las Vegas, NV
• Nathan Switzer - Newport News, VA
• John Wagner - Russell, PA
• Philip Wegmann - Woodburn, IN
• Matthew Wolf - Krebs, OK 

The National Rifle Association launched the Youth Education Summit in 1996 in an effort to encourage America's youth to become active and knowledgeable citizens at both the national and local levels.

The NRA Foundation provides all funding for the program through monies raised by Friends of NRA events. Friends of NRA is a grassroots, fund-raising program organized by local volunteers. Since the program's inception in 1993, Friends of NRA has funded thousands of local projects that include youth education efforts, firearm training, and conservation projects.