The Shootout Board of Directors and its dedicated volunteers (not-for-profit beneficiaries) gathered together tonight at Dog Days Bar & Grill, the new host location for the 37th Annual Lake of the Ozarks Shootout, to disperse funds raised throughout 2024. In line with the past seven years’ worth of progress in raising more for its recipients than ever before, the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout announces that it will be donating a record-breaking $730,000 during its Presentation of Checks Ceremony.
“From its humble beginnings to all that this magnificent event has become today, I am just so proud of everything that the Shootout’s team has accomplished over the years,” said Shootout Board President Mark Maasen (2024-present). “The total amount donated tonight is simply astonishing, and it would not be possible without our amazing volunteers, sponsors, spectators, safety officials, racers, and Board of Directors. I am very grateful for each and every one of them. The Shootout’s future move to Dog Days Bar & Grill and cost savings associated with this transition of venues will only drive the donation amount higher for our incredibly deserving charities. The money donated back to our fantastic community goes a long way in helping the needs of our area, and I am humbly blessed to lead the Shootout in its next chapter.”
The recipients of this year’s Shootout include 43 tri-county non-profit organizations, municipal police agencies, and fire departments. Last year, the Shootout’s donations were utilized to provide free training for emergency responders, a safe and sober after-prom lock-in, free, nutritious meals and supplementing food for families in need, sustainable access to diapers and essential hygiene products, camping activities for children, teenagers, and adults with disabilities and respite for their caregivers, wishes to children with critical illnesses, community safety, protection and advocacy for victims of domestic violence, indoor recess equipment and activities for classrooms, sheltering animals with no-kill policies, and so much more.
“2024 was a year of growth and our organization took on a lot of infrastructure and investments within its two major events (Shootout and Shootout Offshore),” explained Shootout Executive Director Leah Martin (2021-present). “We have taken major steps in the way of first-class production which has reached new heights by engaging viewers across the United States of America and all over the world. Along with the Shootout’s sponsorship dollars, the event’s registration and merchandise sales have a significant impact on the total amount donated to our Lake area charities each year. This year’s proceeds would not have been made possible without the endless support of our philanthropic donors, sponsors, and the general donations we received along the way. Our sincerest gratitude goes out to Performance Boat Center, Monster Energy, the R.J. Noble Foundation, the Wilson Family Foundation, XINSURANCE, Woods Supermarket, and so many others. Thank you, all.”
The very first year on record that the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout donated more than $100,000 annually occurred in 2012, and the past seven years have emboldened the event’s momentum of upward, onward, and greater than ever before with each passing year. From $300,000 raised in 2018 to $730,000 tonight, and with so many organizations relying on these vital donations, the Shootout cannot and will not slow down. With tonight’s donations, the Shootout has given back a projected $5,485,000 to the Lake of the Ozarks since 1989.
“The Shootout continues to grow year after year, and we’re excited to celebrate a new record again, yet again!” MTI Vice President and Shootout Board Member Taylor Scism stated emphatically. “We are so grateful for the volunteers and attendees that make this event possible each year.”
Tonight’s donations define the backbone of the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout and why it exists today. The relationship that this federally recognized 501©(3) organization has established and maintained alongside its community safety officials, local establishments, donors of all sizes, volunteers of all walks of life, and recipients who need these funds the most is unbreakable and unmatched. In 2024, the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout’s unparalleled races reached a staggering quarter of a million viewers across every state but Alaska. The Shootout’s races were livestreamed in dozens of countries in each continent with the exception of Antarctica. So that begs the million-dollar question of who will be traveling to Alaska and Antarctica in 2025 to help break this record, too?