Pure Fishing has donated more than 10,000 rod-and-reel combos to the USA’s Take Kids Fishing Day events and other outreach activities.
Pure Fishing’s unwavering support of the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s (USA) mission to improve the future of angling and conservation has earned the legendary tackle maker the organization’s prestigious $250,000 Lifetime Partner Award.
The award recognizes the South Carolina-based sportfishing powerhouse—a leading worldwide producer of fishing line, lures, rods and reels—for surpassing the $250,000 donor mark.
Known for iconic brands including Abu Garcia, Berkley, Shakespeare and more, Pure Fishing in 2017 signed a memorandum of understanding with the USA to collaborate on angler recruitment and retention programs that connect union and non-union families to the joys of fishing and spirit of conservation.
Pure Fishing has since donated more than 10,000 rod-and-reel combos to the USA’s Take Kids Fishing Day events and other outreach activities under the umbrella of the organization’s Get Youth Outdoors and Work Boots on the Ground (WBG) programs.
In addition, Pure Fishing donated time and product to a multi-partner undertaking to build a wheelchair-accessible boardwalk and fishing pier at the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center (SYCC) in Apollo Beach, Florida. Finished in August 2019, the SYCC pier was the 200th WBG project completed since the program’s inception in 2010.
The SYCC project exemplifies the WBG program, which unites labor union workers to volunteer their time and talents to complete conservation, public access, education, youth outreach and adult mentorship projects that would otherwise go undone. The program has touched communities in 31 states and is currently enjoying a surge in growth. The value of donated volunteer labor topped the $1,000,000 mark in early 2019 and the USA’s youth programs will soon reach the milestone of taking more than 10,000 kids fishing.
Pure Fishing CEO Harlan Kent
“We are truly honored to receive the Lifetime Partner Award from the USA,” said Pure Fishing CEO Harlan Kent. “Over the years our partnership with the USA has offered families the opportunity to enjoy learning about conservation and fishing through projects like the SYCC boardwalk and fishing pier, which we were thrilled to be able to support. As a partner of the USA, we applaud their commitment to preserving fishing and the outdoors for our local communities.”
“Thanks to the generosity of Pure Fishing, the number, scope and impact of youth outreach and conservation projects orchestrated by the USA’s Work Boots on the Ground program has increased dramatically since 2017, when we completed our 100th project,” said USA Director of Membership, Marketing and Communications Brian Dowler.
“We’re honored to have Pure Fishing as a partner,” Dowler continued. “The company’s donations of fishing rods, reels and tackle allow participants to begin their fishing careers and strengthen their bond with nature long after attending one of our outreach events.”
