Military Appreciation Day

[sean kerley]

Hi folks! I'm posting this blog in the hopes that some of the members of BBG.Com will help get the word out about this event. So...what is Military Appreciation Day (MAD)?

It's really simple: It's just a thanks for members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. You can read about the history of this event at www.militaryappreciationday.org.

In a nutshell, a group of volunteers (which now includes me!) gets together and coordinates for boat owners and charter captains to volunteer their time to take these folks out into the briny. Currently, there are annual events in Southport NC, Morehead City NC, Hampton VA (this is the second year), and Lewes DE (first year).

Speaking from personal experience, it is a TON of fun. I did two events last year. The first one was so much fun that I did the second one even though it was only three weeks after foot surgery. (Yup, all my stitches came out while we were 30 miles offshore.) But I was on convalescent leave, and had a nice beard going, and had a great day! Here's a shot of me with a whiteboned porgy (I think).

 

So what can we do to help? We can get the word out! Most importantly, we need to let servicemembers know that this is available to them. We also need to find boat owners and charter captains/crews willing to help. Finally, we need to get businesses/folks to donate money. MAD is a nonprofit organization that survives on donations. These donations pay for gas, ice, bait, food and drink, and tackle/gear.

This first flier is to advertise for servicemembers' awareness.

This next one is to get Captains and Boat Owners to volunteer.

Finally, this one is asking for donations.

Please, no matter where you are, the first flier can go up and let servicemembers know. Also the third flier, because the donations are setup through paypal...so folks can contribute from across the country. And if you live anywhere on the East Coast, please try to post that second flier to get boat owners and captains involved.

This is a great event, and it means a lot to those involved, both servicemembers AND volunteers!

 

Thanks for reading this!

[sean kerley]

Thanks, Leo! Any and all word of mouth helps a lot!

[Leo Nguyen]

Great to know there's a member actively relaying the appreciation for our brothers and sisters in the services. I'll spread this around my work place as well, since there are plenty of active and retired service men and service women, who also have the love for fishing.