Twelve years ago, Becky and I created the Ike Foundation with the goal of getting more kids fishing. We wanted to target youngsters who had never fished before for whatever reason. They might live in a big city where fishing isn’t a thing, which was true for me when I was growing up.
In my 31-year career, getting kids fishing through the Ike Foundation is the single most rewarding thing we’ve ever done. It’s far bigger than winning the Bassmaster Classic, the Angler of the Year, all the tournament accolades, TV shows and podcasts.
Besides teaching kids how to fish, we hope to introduce them to the outdoors, conservation and all the amazing things that go along with the fishing experience. We want them to know there’s so much more to life than smartphones, video games and social media.
You’d think it would be easy to get resources to fund such a great cause, but that’s not true. It’s costly to acquire the tackle, ship it and get people to participate in our events. As time goes on, budgets get cut and sponsors pull out. Our foundation doesn’t get millions of dollars in grants. We’re small potatoes.
Our Dirty30 boat sweepstakes
To raise funds that will get more kids into fishing, Becky and I decided to raffle off the boat I used last season. We’re calling it the Dirty30 boat, because I used it during my 30th year of fishing professionally.
The boat is loaded with six Pro Guide lithium batteries, a Lowrance Ghost trolling motor, two Power-Poles, a JBL audio system, three Lowrance HDS 12 graphs and a Lowrance HDS 16, plus active target!
Every $100 you donate to the Ike Foundation gets you one entry into the raffle. For example, if you donate $500, you get five entries. We will accept donations for the sweepstakes through the middle of September.
Each donation allows us to outfit two kids who have never fished with a rod, reel, line, tacklebox and an assortment of lures. Then, through programs the Ike Foundation offers and supports, we teach them how to cast, fish and have fun outside in nature.
We’ve never done anything like this before, and it will likely be a one and done thing. You can donate by going to theikefoundation.org.
Our greatest reward
When Becky and I started the Ike Foundation, we wondered if we would really be able to help kids get into fishing. The many emails, phone calls and messages we’ve gotten from kids we started fishing confirms our foundation is doing what we hoped for.
They thank us and let us know how the foundation helped them. We heard from one person who is pursuing a career as a professional angler, and another is in college studying for a degree in fisheries biology. Some of the kids we hooked on fishing are now parents. They let us know they’re taking their kids fishing. There are also former Ike Foundation kids who tell us fishing kept them off the streets and out of trouble.
These messages increase every year, and they touch us deeply. They let Becky and I know that we’re making a difference.
We hope the Dirty30 Sweepstakes will generate funds that will allow the foundation to keep reaching out to kids in future years.
Fifty years from now nobody will remember that I won the Bassmaster Classic or any of my Elite Series highlights. But if we can keep the Ike Foundation going, we’ll still be getting kids hooked on fishing. It’s our best biggest and most proud achievement. We hope to keep it going.
You can learn more about the Ike Foundation at www.mikeiaconelli.com or www.youtube.com/c/goingike.
