The Lake of the Ozarks Shootout Board of Directors has announced that a record-breaking $675,000 will be distributed across a series of 39 checks to local charities, police and fire departments, allowing for funds raised during the 2023 season to continuously sustain basic needs and safety for countless families and animals across the Lake of the Ozarks. The presentation of checks came at LOTO-based Performance Boat Center.

Over the past five years, the margin of growth between 2019’s $357,000 raised, and this year’s total amount donated, yielded an overall increase of nearly 50 percent. The increase is a direct result of continued growth while always doing right by the Shootout’s mission, according to Leah Martin, Executive Director of the Shootout since 2021.

"The Lake of the Ozarks Shootout continues to grow," Martin told Speedboat. "We hope to have a larger impact on the community this year. The Shootout is an amazing event, but it's not just about fast boats. It makes a huge impact on the community—everything from school lunches and beds for kids to meals for families and equipment for fire departments."

Marine Technology Inc. (MTI)—the Wentzville, MO-based builder of center consoles and catamarans—helps raise money for Make-A-Wish Missouri and Kansas during the famed LOTO Shootout Week. "It has been an honor to be involved in the Shootout with them having raised so much for all the great charities but especially Make-A-Wish," MTI's Taylor Scism told Speedboat. "There are so many kids impacted in the immediate Lake area that those funds will go to for wishes to be granted all year long. Leah and the Shootout charities team keeps outdoing themselves every year and I can’t wait to see what impact 2024 will bring!"

The Shootout thanks its many sponsors and an immeasurable number of individuals working behind the scenes to safeguard the profits and success of this event each year. The combined efforts of many are what make extraordinary evenings like tonight possible, Martin said. “We have worked year-round to ensure that this event is deemed a continued success for everyone involved, and we have waited for this very moment, when we are finally able to witness the direct impact that these funds have on our community and dozens of charities that the Shootout supports each year,” she said.

The combined impact of many who seek to improve upon what has been done in the past while keeping the event safe each year is the driving force behind this event, says Ron Duggan, Board President and Captain of the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout.

“We are just thrilled that the Shootout continues to grow each year and that we are able to donate more,” Duggan said. “We want to attract more and more people to come and be a part of the Shootout, while allowing them to experience everything that this incredible event has to offer. We would love to hit three quarters of a million dollars in2024, and hopefully we can donate that amount back next year.”

You heard the man! Let’s raise three quarters of a million dollars next year.

For more information or to discuss sponsorship opportunities, email Leah Martin at Director@lakeoftheozarksshootout.com.

For more information on events and registration in 2024, click here.