Lou Haubner with a Merriam's turkey he harvested near Napa Valley, Calif.

Lou and Diann Haubner

Combine a husband who loves to hunt with a wife who loves to plan events. Then sprinkle in passionate, outgoing and generous personalities. The NWTF could not ask for a more perfect recipe for a pair of above-and-beyond volunteers.

The impressive hunting heritage, wildlife conservation and annual fund-raising efforts of Lou and Diann Haubner serve as shining examples of how the NWTF's success depends on its army of devoted volunteers.

The lowdown on Lou

Lou started turkey hunting in the spring of 1982. Striving to learn about the wild turkey and hunting them, he purchased every bit of information he could find, including an NWTF membership. After enjoying turkey hunting for 15 years, he began giving time, money and elbow grease back to the sport he loved so much by volunteering with his local NWTF chapter.

Lou is a real estate broker in Apopka, Fla. One lucky day in 1999, Diann came in to Lou's office to sell some property. They soon realized they had chemistry, eventually fell in love, and have been together ever since.

Diann's deal

Diann Haubner is a great example of someone who doesn't hunt, but is still heavily involved in the NWTF. She loves to plan, organize and run events. In 2000, after Lou and Diann held their first committee meeting to start a local NWTF chapter called the Wekiva Springs Strutters, they began preparation for their first banquet.

Diann's enthusiasm, creativity and event planning skills added to their chapter's overall success. Their banquet won national honors for "Best First Banquet" in 2000.

Since then, the Wekiva Springs Strutters Chapter has earned top honors among the NWTF's more than 2,300 chapters for six years in a row, with numerous national and state awards of excellence including Greatest Net Income, Total Sponsor Membership Achievement, Total Membership Achievement, Best Net/Net and Best of the Best Local Chapter. The Haubners' most successful banquet in terms of dollars raised was in 2007, when their net income was a whopping $138,400.

Lou credits his wife for most of the success.

"Diann keeps things new and fresh each year, and she always strives to deliver more than banquet-goers expect," he said. "For example, Diann comes up with fun themes for each year's banquet, such as Back to the '50s, Hawaiian Luau, Old West, NASCAR Raceway and Night at the Oscars. The theme includes table decor, music, special games and food items that match the topic.

"Our banquet guests tell us that walking into our banquet is like walking into a national sales meeting," Lou continued. "Every detail is addressed from registration to the professional look of the silent and live auctions, themed decorations, plenty of fun games, delicious food, a wonderful auctioneer and valuable raffle prizes. Running a successful banquet is about making sure everyone has a wonderful evening."

Winner's wisdom

When asked how to build a successful chapter banquet, Diann explained: "We have a fantastic group of motivated people helping us raise money and continue what we're doing. Everyone wants to be with the winning team, so everybody pushes and supports us, and it becomes easier and easier every year. We've got so many great followers and generous sponsors that the longer we go, the better it gets."

Lou has a list of four things he believes can make your local chapter more successful.

Build a large committee with members from as many different professions as possible. "We are blessed to have so much talent on our committee to accomplish our goals," said Lou.
Assign your committee members to activities that exhibit their strengths — ticket sales, technology, getting donations. And don't just have men on the committee. Women always add excellent ideas to the mix.
Start early and create a business plan, mapping out every detail. For example, start selling tickets at least two months in advance.
Thank everyone who works on your committee, donates to your event and attends your banquets.
"We always publicly thank our committee members at all banquets and events. Diann and I also host a special 'committee party' each year with dinner and gifts," Lou said.

Super funding

The Wekiva Springs Strutters have been able to contribute generously to Florida's State Chapter Super Fund account. In turn, they have been awarded the opportunity to allocate some of those funds to worthy local projects.

With this money, they've helped build a five-stand shotgun range that's open to the public; double the size of their local rifle range to 40 slots; and assist in building new bathrooms at Camp La-No-Che, a premier scout camp where the chapter holds its huge JAKES event every year.

A rare find

This February, the NWTF recognized Lou and Diann by awarding them the Rare Breed Society Award during the 35th annual National Convention and Sport Show in Nashville, Tenn. The award is presented each year to a volunteer who exemplifies grassroots dedication to the NWTF's programs and wild turkey conservation.

"We usually reserve this award for a single, outstanding volunteer," said Peggy Anne Vallery, NWTF chairman of the board. "But Lou and Diann are an inseparable team, who work tirelessly promoting the NWTF, conservation and wild turkey hunting through one of the most successful Hunting Heritage Super Fund banquets in North America. Both have earned this award, and we were proud to present it to them as a team."

Aside from the hundreds of thousands of dollars Lou, Diann and the Wekiva Springs Strutters have raised, and a bookshelf of NWTF awards, Lou believes their greatest achievement has been expanding the social lives and friendships of their chapter and committee members. Introducing new people to wild turkey hunting, conserving habitat and resources, and preserving Second Amendment rights also make the list. — J.J. Reich