Grant Fox loves the game of “sporting clays,” a form of clay pigeon shooting often described as “golf with a shotgun.” Son of Karen and Rick Fox of Wildwood, Grant held a sporting clays tournament to benefit Thank Israeli Soldiers (TIS), a non-profit organization that gives Jews around the world an easy way to show appreciation to the young men and women protecting Israel.

A student at Rockwood Valley Middle School, Grant first learned about Thank Israeli Soldiers in 2006 when he and his family visited Israel and cousin, Pamela Fox, who started TIS. They were able to meet several soldiers at her home and made care packages for Israeli families that were displaced during the 2006 Second Lebanon War.

To make this tournament a success, Grant had to promote it to his friends, family and sporting clays community. Held at the Blackhawk Valley Hunting Preserve, in Old Monroe, Mo., he greeted the more than 22 shooters and 60 supporters and provided lunch to the participants. 

“Sporting clays is my favorite sport and it was fun to include my friends and family,” said Grant. “A sporting clays tournament is a competition that takes place outside over a large area. There are 10 to 15 stations and shooters try and hit clay targets that come at different speeds and from different angles. There are four people on a team and the team with the highest combined score wins,” he continued.

Grant’s tournament raised a whopping $5,400. “I liked this project because it involved my favorite sport, and also benefited a charity that I am familiar with. There was a lot of work involved and my favorite part was the day of the event,” he said.

Grant says that another way to support Thank Israeli Soldiers is to send a care package and personal letter. Soldiers get a boost of pride and motivation along with the great feeling that someone overseas truly appreciates their service. For more information, go to www.thankisraelisoldiers.org.

Since his bar mitzvah, Grant has continued to raise money for various organizations. In particular, he raised $800 for Homes for Our Troops.