COLONIAL HEIGHTS, Va. — As part of the CBS 6 Month of Giving, Wayne Covil thanked lifelong advocate for hunting safety Mike Norkus for his work in helping keeping Virginia hunters safe.
"Since 1998 you've spent 5000 hours teaching hunter safety, safety with guns, safety with archery. You've literally touched 1000s of lives. You have saved lives," Covil told Norkus. "There are very few people in the Commonwealth who have given up 5000 hours to help make a difference in the lives of others."
The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources recently honored Norkus for his contributions during a ceremony at Dance's Sporting Goods.
Norkus’s passion stems from a personal tragedy.
“I was involved in a hunting incident when I was 14 years old,” Norkus said. “My best friend was shot and killed by accident by his little brother. I was the first one on the scene, so I had to take control, calm his mom down, call the rescue squad, and I swore I’d give back to the community somehow after that.”
Norkus said he has already started logging hours toward his next 5,000 hours of volunteer service.
The CBS 6 Month of Giving made possible by Virginia Credit Union is underway. Watch for a new surprise every day in December on CBS 6 News. Have an idea about who we should surprise next, click here to email our team.
