FLW FOUNDATION
F
UPDATE
Showing Support
LW will provide more than $21 million in awards to
anglers fishing 300 events in nine countries this
season, including the biggest award in bass fish-
ing, $300,000, at the Forrest Wood Cup in Hot Springs,
Ark., Aug. 10-12. Tens of thousands of anglers will fish
these events, and hundreds of thousands more will cheer them on at weigh-ins.
Millions will watch online and on television broadcasts through 26 networks
around the world. Nearly 600,000 fans will follow the action on Facebook alone.
Despite this massive audience, however, you’ve probably never heard about some
of our most important events. That’s because they happen quietly in schools, com-
munity centers, hospitals and military bases across the United States.
The FLW Foundation, our non-profit established in 2010, is the unsung hero of
bass fishing, and we are proud to support youth fishing efforts that connect chil-
dren to their natural resources and promote education, conservation and an active
lifestyle that includes boating and fishing. We are also proud to support the men
and women of the U.S. military, the people who protect our freedom to pursue the
sport we love. Our contributions are small in comparison to their sacrifices, but we
are committed to showing our appreciation whenever and wherever we can.
FLW supports numerous events benefiting veterans and active service mem-
bers. Most recently we assisted with the annual Air National Guard tournament on
Kentucky Lake, an event championed by a dear friend of FLW, retired colonel and
2012 Cup co-angler champion Timothy Dearing, who recently passed away unex-
pectedly. We are also proud to join our friends at Lew’s in support of the Reel
American Heroes Foundation, which provides combat veterans, including wound-
ed soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines, with therapeutic fishing opportunities. No
event is more rewarding to support, however, than the annual Warriors on the
Water tournament at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.
FLW has supported the Warriors on the Water military appreciation tourna-
ment since its beginnings in 2006. Today, it is much more than a tournament. It’s
a community-wide festival that includes youth events and activities that benefit
not only active-duty personnel from every branch of service, but also their families
and the community at large. Each year anglers volunteer to help take 150 service
members fishing in the tournament. When registration opens each year, the
event fills within minutes, and having attended several Warriors on the Water
tournaments personally, I know why. It’s an experience like no other for both the
anglers and service members.
During our last trip to Fort Bragg, the Warriors on the Water staff surprised me
and FLW President of Marketing Trisha Blake with the opportunity of a lifetime – a
tandem jump with the U.S. Army parachute team, the Golden Knights. The thrill is
indescribable, as is the dedication and precision of this elite group of soldiers.
Supporting Warriors on the Water and other military appreciation events is an
honor.
On any given Saturday this summer, there are likely to be five or more FLW tour-
naments preparing for takeoff somewhere in the United States. As the sun climbs
over the horizon, hundreds of anglers bowed in prayer will lift their eyes skyward
toward the stars and stripes for the playing of our national anthem. We do this in
honor of all the men and women who have served, and continue to serve, our
country. It’s our way of saying thank you.
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Sincerely,
Kathy Fennel
President, Operations Division
8
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FLWFISHING.COM I JULY 2018