Spring Hill, Tennessee Youth from across Kentucky braved the storms to spend several hours honing their fishing skills on Saturday, May 20, during three separate Take Kids Fishing Day events hosted by Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (SMART) Local 110 and the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Services.
While the weather may have dampened the venues — Jacobson Park in Lexington, Waverly Park in Louisville and Bob Noble Park in Paducah — it didn’t dampen the kids’ spirits or excitement, according to event organizer Mark Adams, SMART Business Manager. 110. “All the kids got a free rod and reel from the US and got a chance to catch some fish,” he says. “Everyone had a fantastic time, despite the weather.”
In total, 75 boys participated in the three events, learning to bait hooks, cast a line and land catfish, bluegill and trout under the mentorship of 110 SMART members who volunteered their time to train the budding anglers. In Lexington, members of the Cadentown Mission Baptist Men’s Group joined union volunteers to help boys fish.
From the planning stage to the close of each event, union members donated 110 hours of their time to this community program.
“This is the third year we’ve held Take Kids Fishing Day events,” says Adams. “Our local partners are athletes, men and women, and they know what they are doing. Our approach is to help each child to fish, especially if it is their first time holding a fishing rod.”
According to Adams, recruiting new people to the sport of fishing and hopefully sparking an interest in preserving and conserving the country’s valuable natural resources is only part of the goal of hosting events like these for the community.
“They also help strengthen the bond between union workers and the people in their neighborhoods,” he says. “They help us show the community what the union is all about, supporting our neighbors while providing secure employment opportunities for our members. I guarantee that SMART 110 will hold this event for a long time.”
“Many kids rarely get the opportunity to go fishing or participate in any type of outdoor recreation,” adds Cody Campbell, Conservation USA Coordinator. “The Take Kids Fishing Days that we and local union volunteers In several states we organize every year that we offer hundreds of children that opportunity, at least for one day. Hopefully, the mentorship provided by union volunteers will give many of them the confidence to take up fishing as a fun, lifelong hobby.”
The SMART 110 events were part of a series of free, community-based Take Kids Fishing Day events organized through the US Work Boots on the Ground program with support from US national partners. Provost Umphrey Law Firm, Union Plus, and Humana, as well as founding partners UIG, ULLICO, Bank of Labor, AFL-CIO Investment Trust Corporation, and Buck Knives.
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 connect on Facebook, Twitter and 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 great outdoors. The US 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.