Saturday, June 13, provided the perfect day and the Despain Ranch in Smithwick supplied the perfect setting for the 2020 Shoot for Coop Cooper DeSpain Memorial Scholarship clay shooting fundraiser.
Local shooting sports enthusiasts competed for trophies and came together to raise money for the Cooper DeSpain Memorial Scholarship Fund, which annually provides college scholarships to students from Marble Falls High School, Burnet High School, Faith Academy and other area schools as well as scholarships to nearby Camp Peniel.
The scholarship fund is named for the late Cooper Despain, son of David and Trenton Despain, who was killed in a tragic ATV accident on Aug. 8, 2014.
Grieving, yet desiring to keep his memory alive, the Despain family created the scholarship fund which bears his name and set up the annual clay shoot fundraiser on their ranch on Ranch to Market Road 1174, 14 miles east of Marble Falls, to celebrate his spirit.
This year’s event was originally scheduled for May 2, but was rescheduled to June 13 due to concerns about COVID-19. A barbecue dinner with live music and an auction was also held Saturday at the ranch along with a drawing for several prizes after tickets were sold for $20 each, with all proceeds going to the scholarship fund. Grand prize was a 2020 Ranger XP 1000 with trailer, while other prizes included a Benelli Supersport 20 gauge shotgun, a Winchester Featherweight 243, a Ruger 1911 .45-caliber ACP and a Henry Silver Eagle .22-mag.
Since 2015, the scholarship fund has given out more than $54,000 in scholarships to worthy students, including 12 college scholarships totaling $13,000 and four camp scholarships totaling $3,600 in 2019 alone.
For more information about this event, contact shootforcoopmarblefalls@gmail.com or call 830-798-4623.