Thank You to Our Featured Donor: Frank Garcia and the Central Valley Sportsman's Club

Thank You to Our Featured Donor: Frank Garcia and the Central Valley Sportsman's Club

This fall, the Central Valley Sportman's Club made a generous $400 donation as part of their commitment to educating the Valley's children on the great outdoors. As a second time donor to The Discovery Center, the Sportsman's Club strongly believes in the power of establishments such as The Discovery Center in building a respect for nature in children.


One of the club’s biggest events is their annual fishing derby

Frank Garcia is one of the founding members who helped to establish the club in 1947. "We started out with a very small membership," Garcia said. "But we're very devoted to our club's goals." According to Garcia, the club's primary goal is to introduce children to the outdoors and the importance of nature. "We believe that if you teach kids to appreciate nature, they more or less quit hanging out on the streets," he said. "That's what we work for."

The club hosts a number of events throughout the year to help reach these educational goals. One of the clubs biggest events is their annual fishing derby at Woodward Park. The event is free for children up to age 15, and allows them to have a wild experience they wouldn't normally have within city limits. "They have a ball out there," Garcia said of the many children who attend the derby each year. "Seeing those kids out there catching those big ole catfish is one of the highlights of my year."

"It made such a difference to have the support of Frank and The Sportsman's club to provide the funding I needed on that day even before I knew we were going to need it!"
-Janet Berry, Executive Director

In order to hold these fun events and help other organizations promote wilderness awareness, the Central Valley Sportsman's Club holds their annual July fundraiser selling fireworks. For several years, the group has set up their booth in a shopping center at Shaw and Armstrong to sell fireworks for local Fourth of July celebrations. "Over the years, we've gathered up enough funds to donate to a number of schools and organizations," Garcia said of the annual sale.

The Discovery Center's Executive Director Janet Berry is looking forward to using the Central Valley Sportsman's Club's $400 donation to make improvements to existing wilderness exhibits, including those items used for the popular Wilderness Adventure class that lets students get a taste of life in the wild.


Students get up-close-and-personal with animals during a Wilderness Adventure Class

"It will be no surprise to anyone to hear at The Discovery Center we run on a tight budget," said Berry. "The day Frank walked into the office with a donation I had just been over to check on the animals and found we needed some new equipment for one of the enclosures. It made such a difference to have the support of Frank and The Sportsman's club to provide the funding I needed on that day even before I knew we were going to need it! From the TDC staff and all our animals thank you Sportsman's club!"

The Central Valley Sportsman's Club meets in the American Legion hall in downtown Clovis at 7 pm on the last Thursday of each month. The club is happy to welcome new members, so if you have a passion for the outdoors to share with the Valley's children, attend the next meeting, or write to:

The Central Valley Sportman's Club
PO Box 1563
Clovis, CA 93613

If you would also like to make a donation to support science education

at The Discovery Center, visit our website or call us at 559-251-5533 for more information. You can also support The Discovery Center by purchasing an entire year of hands-on science funfor your child or your entire family. Take advantage of all of our membership benefits, sign up today!