In a tradition spanning 24 years, members of the Kiwanis Club of Vero-Treasure Coast brought hundreds of fishing poles and buckets filled with cut-up bait shrimp to the fishing pier underneath the Merrill P. Barber Bridge last Saturday – and brought joy to the children of Indian River County through their annual Take a Kid Fishing tournament.
Co-chairs Jim Wolfe and Al Sammartino estimated that 20 Kiwanis were on hand to share in the fun and give a helping hand to the roughly 200 children who attended. This year saw a record number of girls fishing alongside the boys – quite fitting considering that this was the first time the local Kiwanis had a female president, Ginny Benton.
The delightful day of fishing, entirely free to any child who wished to participate, is just one way the Kiwanis Club meets its mission of serving the children of the community. They also hold fundraisers that enable them to award college scholarships, which this year totaled $22,000.
“Close your eyes and listen to the kids say ‘I got one! I got one!’” said Sammartino. “It’s so exciting for them. We can’t wait to do it every year. It’s a lot of work but everyone comes back and volunteers, because when we are done we are on such a high by this that it motivates all of us.”
Sammartino directed a tri-generational measuring table alongside son Mark and grandson Luke. One by one and grinning ear to ear, each child walked up to the table with their squiggling catches to have hooks removed, get them measured and counted, and then released back into the Indian River Lagoon.
“You see the kids when they catch their first fish, they love it. Everybody gets excited,” said Wolfe. “I have heard some kids say that this is the first time they have seen the water, let alone fish.”
“We’re catching fish for the Ocean Grill tonight,” joked Ocean Grill chef Tim McGraw, fishing with son Nick. “This is so great for the community. A lot of kids don’t have an opportunity to go fishing, so I think it is awesome for Kiwanis to do this.”
Organizers appreciated that this year Mayor Jay Kramer had asked that the city clean up the pier prior to the tournament.
“Typically we clean it up periodically but it doesn’t take long for it to get a little dirty so we wanted to make sure it was nice for everyone,” said Kramer. “It’s extremely satisfying to see the kids and parents enjoying this quality time because of the Kiwanis’ efforts, and the city is always happy to support them.”
Adding to the festive atmosphere was the enticing aroma of hot dogs and burgers sizzling on the grill and served at a picnic in MacWilliams Park at the end of the tournament. Vero Tackle & Marina provided both the bait and the fishing poles given out as prizes for the biggest, smallest, highest quantity and ugliest fish caught.
The biggest fish of the day was a 21.5-inch stingray caught by 6-year-old Jackson Payne, and runner-up was Colin Wallace, who caught a 14-inch stone crab. Shyanne Mallory’s mother-in-law fish grabbed the Ugliest Fish title, and Samuel Speak won for Smallest Fish. Daisy Landin and Jacob Akey, 7 and 10 respectively, won for the Most Fish in their age categories.