For two Saturday nights running, Bunyan Volunteer Fire Department will host a turkey shoot to benefit a new, local nonprofit, Angels n Camo.

This summer, Angels n Camo begins granting hunting- and fishing-adventure wishes to children with life-threatening diseases, said Lisa Adams, Angels n Camo director. It’s by fundraising with events like the Summertime Turkey Shoot that those wishes can be fulfilled, she said.

The turkey shoots are slated for 7 p.m. Saturday and the following Saturday, June 9, at the Bunyan Volunteer Fire Department on N.C. Highway 32 at Douglas Crossroads. There aren’t any actual turkeys involved, laughed Adams, but competitors will line up to shoot targets. The one who shoots closest to the target will receive a cash prize.

Refreshments and merchandise will be sold at Angel n Camo’s first big fundraisers. Adams was inspired to found Angels n Camo in remembrance of avid hunter and fisherman Henry Ball, a close friend of Adams’ father. Ball passed away recently from complications caused by cancer.

“When I was growing up, Mr. Henry and his son were always at my house on the weekends,” said Adams. “We all hunted together. I just wanted to do something to carry on his love for hunting.”

Adams, a computer teacher at Chocowinity Middle School, said she naturally gravitated toward using the foundation to help children.

“My teacher background made me want to do this with kids,” Adams said. “I see the kid-need every day.”

So far, Angels n Camo has two soon-to-be “fisher-girls” lined up for trips this summer.

“Our first angel is a 7-year-old girl in Chocowinity,” said Adams. “She has kidney cancer — Wilms tumor. We found her through Riley’s Army, an organization out of Greenville that helps families with children with cancer.”

Angels n Camo will organize and foot the bill for the July adventure, including a stocked tackle box, fishing rod, and outfitting the girl in fishing gear. The mother/daughter beneficiaries of Angel n Camo’s first granted wish prefer to remain close to home, choosing an adventure that includes fishing off a pier in Chocowinity Bay and grilling out. The owners of the pier are friends of Adams’ who’ve donated their waterfront home for the day.

In August, a second angel, suffering from muscular dystrophy, has chosen an offshore fishing adventure. Adams said they’ll be taking to the seas because angel No. 2 wants “to catch the big one.”

Adams stressed that Angels n Camo adventures are open to boys and girls — ages 5 through 15 for fishing, and ages 9 through 15 for hunting — and the child’s immediate family is invited to participate. Though adventures aren’t limited to Beaufort County residents, Adams said her goal is to keep it “local and homegrown.”

Before the summer events have even started, Adams has already turned her thoughts to the cooler weather and the start of deer-hunting season.

“We are actively looking for kids who want to go hunting for deer, both boys and girls,” said Adams.

In the meantime, Adams is gearing up for a summer of wish fulfillment for these lucky children who love the great outdoors — in memory of a friend who loved it equally.

For more information about Angels n Camo or to download a wish application, visit www.angelsncamo.org.