Kansas City, Missouri—Nearly 200 young fishermen and their families lined the shores of Troost Lake in the heart of Kansas City along with local union members and other community volunteers and retired Kansas City Chiefs running back Priest Holmes on Saturday for Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) 2North Dakota Annual Greater Kansas City BCTC Take Kids Fishing Day.
Organized by the US and the Greater Kansas City Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC), the free event was supported by the Priest Holmes Foundation, Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City, Kansas City Parks, the Kansas City Department of Conservation Missouri, Marriott Hotels and the US Take Kids Fishing Day Host Sponsor Humana.
“Take Kids Fishing Day gave kids and parents of all income levels the opportunity to learn about the outdoors through fishing and build their confidence in handling rods, reels and hooks,” said Holmes, who is actively involved at the NFL Players Association and the USA “There were a lot of memories made. I watched a child scoop worms out of a bait cup with great interest. Other children said they had never fished before. I encouraged them to try something new and challenged them to keep fishing after the event.”
All young anglers received a free fishing rod and reel, to ensure they have the opportunity to continue fishing for years to come. Many of the kids won extra gear for outdoor activities in raffles held during lunch.
Thirty-three volunteers from the Greater Kansas City BCTC, Ironworkers Local 10, Sheet Metal Workers Local 2, Fire Fighters Local 42, Insulators Local 27, Teamsters Local 41, Operative Yesters’ and Cement Masons’ Local 518, Masons Local 15, Pipefitters Local 533 , Electrical Workers Local 124, Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO, NFLPA, along with staff from Marriott Hotels, Humana, Big Brothers Big Sisters Kansas City, and the Missouri Department of Conservation provided participants with hands-on instructions and assistance in using their new rods along with tips on how to catch a big one.
“Our communities don’t often experience the value of labor, but this year’s location really helped everyone understand that labor is not just an organization,” said Alise Martiny, business manager for the Greater Kansas City BCTC. “I couldn’t be more pleased with the turnout of volunteers and how hard everyone worked to prepare for the event, especially the members of Iron Workers Local 10.”
Dave Coleman, business manager/financial secretary and treasurer of Iron Workers Local 10, was equally impressed by the diversity of union trades that volunteered. “I think it really shows what the building trade is all about: giving back to the community,” he said. “And I think it’s important to give inner-city youth a chance to fall in love with the outdoors. A guy he was fishing with had never caught a fish before, and he hooked a 14″ channel jack, he was so excited.”
To teach youth that fishing is not only fun but can also be a source of food, the Missouri Department of Conservation hosted a fish cleaning demonstration at the event.
“In an age of cell phones, tablets, video games, TV screens and other devices vying for children’s attention, events like this are more important than ever to wean kids and adults away from electronic devices and immerse them in the world together. outdoors,” said U.S. CEO and CEO Walt Ingram. “We are deeply grateful to the Greater Kansas City BCTC and all of the union volunteers and partners who came out to provide participating families with a fun and educational experience and spark their interest in fishing.”
Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA): USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to unions whose members hunt, fish, shoot, and volunteer their skills for conservation. America is uniting the union community through conservation to preserve North America’s outdoor heritage. For more information visit www.unionsportsmen.org or plug in Facebook, Twitter Y Instagram.
Ground Work Boots (WBG): WBG is America’s flagship conservation program that brings together union members willing to volunteer their time and expertise for conservation projects that enhance and enhance public access to the outdoors, conserve wildlife habitat, they restore America’s parks and mentor youth in the outdoors. The U.S. Work Boots on the Ground program works closely with federal, state, and local agencies and other conservation groups to provide the labor needed to complete critical projects that might otherwise go undone.