Fellow TinBoaters,
Jim was gracious enough to let me post this here, and before I get too far along with the post.....let me say I've never tried to to ask anyone to donate to an event like this, so if my etiquette in asking isn't as professional as it should be, please don't let it affect your decision to contribute.
Two years ago, a friend (with the support of a few others) on one of our local sites here in GA decided to put together a kids fishing tournament appropriately named "The Mini-Me Classic" which was designed to get kids involved in a fishing event with their family. It was open to anyone who had a youngster in their lives that wanted to fish either from the bank, or in a boat on a small county reservoir in our area. Although the turnout was a little less than expected, it was by far the most memorable "tournament" I've ever competed in. And not just because my son and I are the DEFENDING CHAMPS :LOL2:
Every child that attended became a recipient of a baseball cap (donated by our local outdoor magazine) and a goodie bag filled with all sorts of fishing tackle/lures donated by Bass Pro Shops and a few local supporters. The event was later published in the magazine and told of the incredible time these kids had, as well as the Parents and Grandparents who got to share the experience with them. The fishing was a little slow that day, but you would have never guessed it by the comments from any of the kids in the car on the way home, and as I've been told...many times since. Every kid left the event feeling like a winner and the smiles around the event that day are something I won't ever forget. Especially the ones on my two boys' faces.
The following year, the tournament was not held in light of the economy and the concerns that many people would not be able to afford coming or donating give-aways to the tournament.
This year, it was decided that regardless of the economy, we were having the 2nd Annual Mini-Me Classic and that we would just have to use our resources to be able to put together some stuff for the kids. So.......I wanted to offer an opportunity for anyone on the site to donate anything they feel might be appropriate for the event. Naturally, if you wanted to donate something on behalf of a company, I would gladly mention it on the site, and do whatever I could to mention your company name in the magazine if the event is once again published. That said, we would certainly accept any donations big or small, companies or individuals with or without anonymity, that you think a youngster may enjoy receiving at an event like this.
And above all, please don't allow this post to create any ill will about who can or cannot contribute. I don't expect anything, but I wanted to feel as though I was helping the cause by offering the opportunity here. Regardless, I'll make sure to post any new relevant information about the tournament as well as a recap of how it went.
In the meantime, I'll probably be posting to this thread once a week just to make sure everyone has had a chance to see it prior to the event.
Here is a post on the last event. https://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=244284&highlight=mini
Thanks for reading, and even if you can't contribute a prize....the kids would love reading your support!
Thanks Again!
Jim was gracious enough to let me post this here, and before I get too far along with the post.....let me say I've never tried to to ask anyone to donate to an event like this, so if my etiquette in asking isn't as professional as it should be, please don't let it affect your decision to contribute.
Two years ago, a friend (with the support of a few others) on one of our local sites here in GA decided to put together a kids fishing tournament appropriately named "The Mini-Me Classic" which was designed to get kids involved in a fishing event with their family. It was open to anyone who had a youngster in their lives that wanted to fish either from the bank, or in a boat on a small county reservoir in our area. Although the turnout was a little less than expected, it was by far the most memorable "tournament" I've ever competed in. And not just because my son and I are the DEFENDING CHAMPS :LOL2:
Every child that attended became a recipient of a baseball cap (donated by our local outdoor magazine) and a goodie bag filled with all sorts of fishing tackle/lures donated by Bass Pro Shops and a few local supporters. The event was later published in the magazine and told of the incredible time these kids had, as well as the Parents and Grandparents who got to share the experience with them. The fishing was a little slow that day, but you would have never guessed it by the comments from any of the kids in the car on the way home, and as I've been told...many times since. Every kid left the event feeling like a winner and the smiles around the event that day are something I won't ever forget. Especially the ones on my two boys' faces.
The following year, the tournament was not held in light of the economy and the concerns that many people would not be able to afford coming or donating give-aways to the tournament.
This year, it was decided that regardless of the economy, we were having the 2nd Annual Mini-Me Classic and that we would just have to use our resources to be able to put together some stuff for the kids. So.......I wanted to offer an opportunity for anyone on the site to donate anything they feel might be appropriate for the event. Naturally, if you wanted to donate something on behalf of a company, I would gladly mention it on the site, and do whatever I could to mention your company name in the magazine if the event is once again published. That said, we would certainly accept any donations big or small, companies or individuals with or without anonymity, that you think a youngster may enjoy receiving at an event like this.
And above all, please don't allow this post to create any ill will about who can or cannot contribute. I don't expect anything, but I wanted to feel as though I was helping the cause by offering the opportunity here. Regardless, I'll make sure to post any new relevant information about the tournament as well as a recap of how it went.
In the meantime, I'll probably be posting to this thread once a week just to make sure everyone has had a chance to see it prior to the event.
Here is a post on the last event. https://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=244284&highlight=mini
Thanks for reading, and even if you can't contribute a prize....the kids would love reading your support!
Thanks Again!
