President’s Message

Farewell – And Thank You

By Sven Lindquist, SCI President

SCI’s fiscal year ends this month, as does my presidency. I cannot thank every­one enough for your faith in me and your support of my efforts over the past two years to move SCI forward by growing in both size and influence.

There have been good times, and not­-so-good times. Not so good was the pan­demic that interrupted hunting and SCI’s activities around the world. Thankfully, that’s now in the rearview mirror.

Good times? SCI’s 50th Anniversary happened on my watch, and what a party that was! Right on the heels of that cele­bration, SCI saw its biggest and best Con­vention ever in Nashville. What a blast!

Every SCI member can be proud of this great organization and what it is accom­plishing. Never in SCI’s history have so many members been doing more to help realize the mission than right now.

I credit the leadership on the Board of Directors and among the Executive Com­mittee for making this possible. Without such enthusiastic support, it could not have happened.

SCI’s best times are still to come. As the organization grows, so will its influ­ence around the world. With that added power, SCI will be able to accomplish even more. Success breeds success.

Nowhere is this more evident than on the international front. SCI is making great strides internationally, thanks to the herculean efforts of our volunteer leader­ship and chapters around the world.

Our expanding presence in Europe is a great example of how SCI has taken vi­sions and translated them into tangible re­alities. Similarly, SCI’s presence through­out Latin America is just now beginning to blossom in ways that are beyond excit­ing.

Also, SCI’s recent focus on women and youth hunters is destined to bloom in the future as those groups of hunters continue to be among the fastest-growing demo­graphics in all of hunting.

There will always be room under the SCI tent for every kind of hunter. That is because, as the membership numbers grow, so does the size of SCI’s tent.

This means that SCI’s future can be vir­tually limitless. With broad vision and un­bridled effort, SCI can accomplish great things. To do so, we must continue to be forward-thinking by embracing positive change.

It has been said that change is the only constant in the world. The trick is to as­sure that it is positive change because there will always be negative influences lurking just around the corner.

SCI’s advocacy efforts are paying off both locally and globally. We have ex­panded our efforts at the state level in the U.S., have redoubled our presence nation­ally in the U.S. and Canada, and have a greater advocacy presence in Europe now than ever before.

When John McLaurin becomes presi­dent next month, there is reason to be op­timistic about SCI’s future because it will be in good hands.

As I bow out, I am grateful for every­thing all of you have done for SCI. It’s been a great ride. THANK YOU!