NRA-ILA Announces 2004 Volunteer Award Winners

Each year, NRA-ILA bestows its volunteer awards upon those individuals (and an organization) who have gone above and beyond the call in defense of our freedom.  As in past years, we received a number of extremely qualified nominations for the 2004 awards, and we were heartened to learn of all the tremendous work our volunteers have been doing throughout the country.  With 2004 being an extremely busy election year, this choice was made even more difficult. 

Here are the NRA-ILA Volunteer Award winners for 2004:

Jay M. Littlefield NRA-ILA Volunteer of the Year Award:

Roy Burkhart (Alaska)
Scott Newhall (N.H.)

NRA-ILA Volunteer Organization of the Year Award:

Gun Owners' Action League (Mass.).

Roy Burkhart serves as the NRA-ILA Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC) for Alaska.  U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) personally nominated Roy for this award, crediting him with spearheading her campaign activities in the Mat-Su Valley region during the 2004 elections.  Senator Murkowski noted, "Having won a high-profile race for the U.S. Senate last year, I can attest that the reason candidates succeed is through the dedicated efforts of grassroots volunteers like Roy and [his wife] June.  Not only are the Burkharts top-notch campaign volunteers, but after having known them now for some time, I also consider them friends.  Their activism represents all that is good with our system of governance and active citizen participation.…In closing, I again want to thank NRA and its grassroots activists like Roy and June Burkhart for their tremendous support in my race last year.  I could not have won without them."

Scott Newhall serves as NRA-ILA's EVC for the entire state of New Hampshire.  In this role, he organized volunteers to attend rallies, to work at campaign offices, and to undertake numerous other grassroots election activities.  Additionally, Mr. Newhall planned and executed his own EVC Grassroots-Election Workshop that was held in Manchester in May 2004.  This meeting included 20 core volunteers, as well as individuals from Gun Owners of New Hampshire (NRA's state affiliate), two NRA-ILA Grassroots staff members who also participated in the presentation, a representative from the Bush campaign, and other local candidates for office.   He also wrote his own e-newsletter encouraging involvement with the campaigns of President Bush, U.S. Rep. Jeb Bradley (R-1), U.S. Rep. Charlie Bass (R-2), Gov. Craig Benson (R), and numerous state and local candidates.  Additionally, Scott regularly attended Second Amendment Roundtable meetings with Rep. Bradley.  These are just some of the many endeavors Scott undertook throughout New Hampshire in 2004.

And last but certainly not least, Gun Owners' Action League (GOAL) of Massachusetts distinguished itself in the fight to preserve the Second Amendment, working closely with NRA-ILA's State Liaison, attending legislative hearings, and always keeping their membership apprised of key legislative activities and state gun laws through their website and e-mail alerts.  GOAL also took a leadership role in reforming provisions of Chapter 180 of Massachusetts law that benefited all law-abiding gun-owners in the Bay State.

All of us at NRA-ILA offer our sincerest thanks and congratulations to the 2004 award winners for their support and dedication to our mutual cause, and we know you all join us in congratulating these individuals and Gun Owners' Action League for their tireless defense of the Second Amendment. 

Congratulations to all!