Investing in the Future

The Brule River Sportsmen’s Club has a long history of investing in the future of our natural resources. We are especially proud of our contributions towards the education of students interested in natural resource fields. A Club objective has been to help as many students as possible in their pursuit of careers benefitting the natural resources of our region and beyond.

The Brule River Sportsmen’s Club College Scholarship

Marge and Larry Drews established the Club’s college scholarship fund in the 1990s, but it took a few years to raise enough money to make the first award. Initially, the names of donors to the fund were placed on a plaque that was displayed at the old Twin Gables restaurant in Brule. Once sufficiently funded, a $1,000 scholarship was offered, which was a sizeable award in 1999. In 2010, a longtime Club member recognized the ever increasing cost of a college education. This member challenged the Club by donating $25,000 of guaranteed funds to be matched by the Club. The purpose of this generous donation was to allow the Club to increase the annual scholarship to $5,000. Thanks to the generosity of individual member donations and 2 subsequent raffles, we completed the $25,000 match in 2016. This initial donation and the generous matching contributions that we’ve received since have allowed us to award an annual $5,000 scholarship beginning in 2012.

The Club celebrated 20 years of providing financial support to deserving upper-class and graduate students preparing for careers in fields related to the preservation, management, and enjoyment of natural resources in 2018. As of 2023, the Club had awarded a total of $81,000 to 28 students, 20 of which were undergraduate awards. These scholarships represent one of the Club’s most important investments in the future conservation of natural resources in Wisconsin and the upper mid-west. To see a full list of past recipients and their majors, click on Past College Recipients. We’ve been unable to keep track of all our past recipients, but those who have kept in touch tell us how much the scholarship meant to them as they tried to “make ends meet.”  To read about some of these individual and their stories, click on Where Are They Now.

Application instructions can be found by clicking on Scholarship Information. The Club has a standing committee that reviews scholarship applications each year and recommends a candidate to the board of governors for their approval in early summer.

Northwestern High School Scholarship

Board member Paul Helbach wanted to aid young adults graduating from Northwestern High School who had a passion for the outdoors and a desire to earn a degree in a natural resource field. Paul began raising money for this scholarship in March 2017. Funding began with 100% of the proceeds from Paul’s hand-crafted walking sticks (for sale at the Twin Gables restaurant in Brule). Longtime officer/board member Bill Gobin also made a generous donation to the fund in 2018, ensuring the scholarship got off to a good start. This $500 scholarship was first awarded in 2019. In 2024, the award was increased to $1,000.

Faculty at Northwestern High School select a student to receive the scholarship before graduation each year.

Donations to the Scholarship Funds can be made online by clicking on Donations in the Club Store.

August 12, 2024