Over 200 shooters took part today in the 6th annual John b-mesh Memorial Scholarship Sporting Clays shoot held at powder Creek Sporting Park in Olathe Kansas. The scholarship is named for Kansas City Missouri firefighter John mesh who lost his life in the line of duty on October 12th 2015 fighting a fire at 2600 Independence Avenue.

“The scholarship’s sole purpose is to get young people, kids and young adults into the outdoors,” said Jim Mesh, John’s brother and obe of the founders of the event and scholarships.  “Hunting camps archery camps. Actual hunting experience on the ground running experience, fishing, just anything to get kids into the outdoors.”

Well John Sirna, a co founder of the scholarship fund echoed Jim Mesh’s statement. “John and I were co-workers, he was a firefighter on Pumper 10 and I was the driver when he was killed in the line of duty,” Sirna said. “He was one of my best friends so when he perished, I wanted to do something in his memory. I talked to his brothers, and with their help we came up with a scholarship that’s outdoor based.”

Johnna Schindlebeck’s son Jared, a sophmore at Missouri State University in Springfield is the recipient of one of the Mesh scholarships. “Jared is studying conservation law enforcement and wants to be a conservation agent,” Schindlebeck said. “He’s doing really well, he’s got an internship at the fisheries so we’re very fortunate, very appreciative of the opportunity.”

Kansas City Firefighter Ross Grundyson, far left in photo below, worked in John Mesh’s company and remembered jow much John loved the outdoors. “They do a lot of good things and we’re just glad to be out here and keep John’s memory alive,” Grundyson said. so people can be reminded of the kind of guy he was to each and every one of us, and to do a lot of kids a lot of good. At the same time.”

Dawn Eddings, owner of e2 Embroidery and Screen Printing is also a firefighter’s wife who assembled an all female team made up of children of current and retired firefighters, borrowed a shotgun and entered the competition.

“I mean it’s so important to us only because we grew up in Northeast, my husband is from the Northeast, and we’re very very close to the Mesh family,” Eddings said. “We love them, we care about them, we’ll do everything we can do to help.