After many years a staple in introducing fishing to kids has suffered a set back.....
This is a letter sent by Jim Owens of Cast for Kids...


Dear Fishing Kids Volunteers,



I will not be coordinating your Fishing Kids Events this year.  The privilege of doing that for the program that I conceived, developed, and nurtured is to be given to someone else.



This year the WDFW put out an RFP (Request for Proposal) for Coordination and Management of the Kids Fishing Program. In case you weren’t not aware of it WDFW provides the bulk of the funding for the program.  My submittal (bid) was deemed non responsive and rejected.  I then submitted a protest, but that too was rejected.  I am not sure who will be awarded the contract, but the rumor mill has it that it will be GOPAW. 



I’m not sure when you will be contacted about this year’s events, or by whom.  I apologize for not having more to tell you, but I have just not been given any information at all.  WDFW has chosen not to support two of the programs from last year – Renton and Colfax.  I will be contacting these groups to make plans to continue them on our own. 



I am very concerned about where the program will go from here.  I’m not sure that whoever WDFW finds to manage it will have the same depth of caring, understanding, experience, expertise, and mostly importantly, “ownership” of the program to keep it at the level it has been.  We will see.



Over the years I have deeply enjoyed working with all of you and like to think of all of you as my friends.  I will miss you.  It was great working with people that understand the importance of, and care so deeply about, youth sportfishing. I hope to see many of you come help with CAST for Kids events.



NOTE:  Just to avoid any confusion, this issue has nothing to do with the CAST for Kids events for disabled children.  Those are still full speed ahead!



All of you please Take Care,



Jim Owens

Executive Director, C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation

227 SW 41st St., Renton, WA 98057

P: (425) 251-3214

Catch A Special Thrill

Jim,
  Sorry to hear this.  If enough of us "tax paying bass fishermen" got together and threw darts or called our congressman or shot off some "what the H#@L are you doing" emails, do you think we could dent this mentality?  I would happily take this somewhere if you think it would help.  Let us know if we, the oldest bass club in the country, can help this cause in anyway.

Hey Guys,

Thankx for the nice comments and the suggestions to write e-mails, but it is a done deal I'm afraid.  I can only look back and see that I think that myself and all the volunteers that helped make it and grow did a pretty darn good job.  I just hope that GOPAW can keep it going, but I have serious doubts.

PLEASE NOTE - I am still doing the Renton/Coulon Park Fishing Kids event in June.  They chose not to support that one or the Colfax one.  So I still need the club's help, now more than ever, to keep it going.

I will be having a planning meeting as soon as I can get one set up.  If any of you out there are interested please send me your name and e-mail and I will invite you to the meeting.

Also, please remember that the CAST for Kids event for disabled children is a seperate program and will still continue as strong as ever.

Thankx for all your support in the past and let's keep it going!!!!

Jim- I am a firefighter for the City of Renton and we have a very strong union that loves to help out in the community.  I was thinking of approaching you and them this year for financial assistance and manpower for the Coulon event.  I mean, there is no better way to give back to the community then through it's youth.  With over 130 members, most with boats and plenty of time off, the fit for our two organizations almost seems too good.  Please feel free to contact me and I would be happy to direct you to the proper people in my union to make this a possibility.  If for some weird reason they won't make even a small monetary commitment to the cause, I alone could probably dredge up a nice handfull or two of old fishermen to bait and gut fish for the day.  Understand that I am fairly new there, but we are community driven.  

Chris