Shootout Treasure Hunt

The LakeExpo.com Great Shootout Treasure Hunt is a blast for the whole family! It’s scheduled from 5 – 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 22, in Buccaneer Bay at Captain Ron’s Bar and Grill located in Sunrise Beach, at the 34.5 Mile Marker. Proceeds will benefit Kids' Harbor.

View the full Shootout Schedule.

Read more about Shootout Events.

photo by Lake Shots Photography

 Lake Shots Photography

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. – Storm the beach and dig up family fun. The Great Shootout Treasure Hunt will once again bring 200 kids and parents to search for buried treasure at 5 p.m., Monday, Aug. 22, at Captain Ron’s.

There’s more than $11,000 in treasure and all funds raised from the event benefit local children served by Kids’ Harbor.

Among the treasure chests buried along Cannonball Beach, one lucky adventurer will dig up the key to the grand prize -- a new Hammerhead Off-Road Go Kart, generously donated by Surdyke Yamaha.

Tickets can be purchased for $20 at Kids’ Harbor, Captain Ron’s and Cannon Smoked Saloon. All ticket holders enjoy a social hour, treasure hunt, prizes and a free t-shirt.

2015 LakeExpo.com Great Shootout Treasure Hunt

Scores of scallywags scoured the sand on Monday, Aug. 24, as the LakeExpo.com Great Shootout Treasure Hunt made landfall at Captain Ron’s Bar & Grill. Following a laid-back social hour, the atmosphere quickly grew competitive as treasure hunters of all ages set their sights on the beaches and the 300-plus treasure chests that lay hidden beneath the sand.

Photography by Lake Shots

All photos under copyright protection. To purchase digital photos, e-mail ID number to lakeexpo@yahoo.com

1 of 179

The giveaways at the Great Shootout Treasure Hunt satiate even the greediest pirate: gift certificates to local businesses abound, and most treasure hunters walk away with more value in their loot bag than they even paid to get into the event. Several huge prizes raise the stakes of the event, with adults and kids alike digging frantically in the sand.

But the indisputable biggest winners of the Treasure Hunt are other children—victims of domestic violence who are helped by Kids’ Harbor. These children are typically unseen, but they are members of the local community, and they feel the impact of events like the Treasure Hunt, that help fund Kids’ Harbor’s mission.

“Kids’ Harbor is excited to be a part of the Treasure Hunt,” said Cara Gerdiman, Kids’ Harbor, Inc. Executive Director.  “Given the increasing number of children from our communities being referred to the agency, this event allows us to raise money which ensures all victims of child abuse are given a voice in the criminal justice process.”

Kids’ Harbor serves 10 counties in Missouri: Camden, Dent, Hickory, Laclede, Maries, Miller, Morgan, Phelps, Pulaski and Texas. The 501(c)(3) is funded through the generosity of individuals throughout the community, and through donations from organizations and events like the Treasure Hunt.

Last year, the LakeExpo.com Great Shootout Treasure Hunt raised $3,600 for Kids’ Harbor.

“When you can be a small part of a cause to help local children and have a great time with the family, it’s a fantastic mix,” said Brent Simpson, Publisher at LakeExpo.com, the Lake-area news and events website that has sponsored the event for four years in a row.

Great Shootout Treasure Hunt

Scalawags young and old scoured the beaches of Captain Ron’s Bar and Grill on Monday, Aug. 18, searching for treasure buried in the sand at the LakeExpo.com Great Shootout Treasure Hunt.

No one went home empty-handed, and a lucky few won major prizes, such as a water mat and a go-cart.

Photography by Lake Shots

All photos under copyright protection. To purchase digital photos, e-mail ID number to lakeexpo@yahoo.com

1 of 120

Kids’ Harbor helped 703 children in 2014. That was a 10 percent increase from the year before, and over the past decade, the organization has nearly tripled the amount of children it serves annually. That’s bad news and good news, obviously: the scourge of domestic abuse is still a harsh reality in many homes, but Kids’ Harbor advocates and medical professionals have been able to get more help to more kids, as the organization grows.

A few more sobering numbers: in 2014, Kids’ Harbor performed 255 Sexual Assault Medical Exams and conducted 557 interviews. Seventy-five percent of the children helped by Kids’ Harbor in 2014 were under the age of 13. Thirty-two percent of Kids’ Harbor referrals in 2014 came from counties at the Lake of the Ozarks (Camden, Miller, and Morgan), and another 48 percent came from nearby Laclede and Pulaski counties. The average cost to provide services to one child in 2014 was $716.

Kids’ Harbor receives funding through grants, foundations, a state contract, and fundraising events like the Treasure Hunt. But individual donors are also a crucial source of revenue. Tax-exempt weekly, monthly, or annual gifts keep Kids’ Harbor helping kids throughout the 10-county region.

The organization has several needs in 2016. First, the Osage Beach facility is being expanded, but the unexpected need for an elevator means current project funds won’t be enough to finish the expansion. Second, the Advocacy for Children Project provides grants that have allowed Kids’ Harbor to bring on two new Counselors, a full-time Forensic Interviewer, two Intake/Volunteer Coordinators, and a part-time advocate — but the organization has to match the funds by 20 percent via volunteer hours or fundraising. And third, Kids’ Harbor is ready to move from paper to digital files, but with so much sensitive data that they are required by law to keep, funding the changeover is daunting, and more money is needed to facilitate that big step.

Kids’ Harbor employees, volunteers and supporters are focused on helping kids. That focus is what brings them to the Osage Beach and St. Robert facilities, and it also leads some to help make the Great Shootout Treasure Hunt a success too. About a dozen people volunteer for the Treasure Hunt on behalf of Kids’ Harbor. They help make sure all the treasure hunters know (and follow) the rules, and they busily work at the “treasury”—where participants line up to redeem the coins they’ve found for prizes.

The event is hugely popular every year, and it’s not only for children. There is something about the chance to find buried treasure that brings out the inner child, for adults of all ages: as soon as the hunt begins, treasure hunters spanning several generations flood the beaches, combing the sand for wooden chests. Once the prizes are redeemed, the evening unwinds, as live music floats across the water, kids steal a few final minutes on the playground, and adults stroll along the sand.

"The Treasure Hunt is a great way to kick off a fantastic week full of Shootout events,” Simpson added. “Everyone leaves with a smile, a prize, and a free t-shirt.”

Meanwhile, workers from Kids’ Harbor clean up and head home, knowing today’s work funds tomorrow’s chance to help a child in need.

0
0
0
0
0

(0 Ratings)