The National Professional Anglers Association (NPAA) and its nonprofit partner, the Future Angler Foundation (FAF), received the National “Rise to the Future” award for Aquatic Recreational Accomplishment in Washington D.C. on Monday, May 18. Patrick Neu, the NPAA Executive Director and the President of the FAF, accepted this prestigious award on behalf of the organizations’ members and partners during a ceremony held at the National Archives Building. Arthur Blazer, the Deputy Under Secretary, Natural Resources & Environment, for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and Leslie Weldon, the Deputy Chief of the National Forest Service made the presentation.
In his acceptance speech, Mr. Neu acknowledged the honor by crediting a shared passion for the sport of fishing. “It’s an honor to receive this award on behalf of our 650 NPAA members and over 50 NPAA partners who have contributed to our efforts to grow the sport of fishing by supporting our Future Angler events over the past five years,” said Neu. This team effort was made possible through the support given to the program by Nick Schmal, the newly retired Forest Service Region 9 Fish and Aquatic Ecology Program Leader and Greg Karch the NPAA’s acting Future Angler Committee Chair during the period.
During the six-year period from 2009-2014, the NPAA Future Angler program has been supported by the Forest Service, hosting over 350 Future Angler events reaching out to nearly 38,000 young anglers and 24,000 adults. Held in 14 different states, 85 different cities, with support from 223 different NPAA members, the Future Angler program has grown exponentially. The organization held nearly 130 events last year alone.
Funding for the events comes, in part, from partners like the U.S. Forest Service, and donations made by NPAA members and partners. Since the inception of the Future Angler Foundation in 2012, founded by Patrick Neu, Greg Karch, and NPAA president Robert Blosser, the partnership brought donations of Rod/Reel combinations and “Future Pro” T-Shirts to event attendees.
The FAF’s mission to grow the sport of fishing through education and outreach makes a perfect partnership with the NPAA. Recently, the FAF launched additional partnerships with non-profit organizations across the country with donations of Future Angler Events products. Contributions can be made to support FAF’s mission at www.futureangler.org.
NPAA Supporting Partners include: Advanced Tex Screen-printing, Cabela’s National Walleye Tour, The Walleye Federation, Evinrude Outboards, Fishouflage, Plano Synergy, Lund Boat Co, Mercury Marine, Muskie Expo Chicago & Milwaukee, Navionics, Nebulus Floatation, Optima Batteries, Outdoor First Media, Pure Fishing, Ranger Boats, Skeeter Boats, Stratos Boats, Triton Boats, U.S. Forest Service, Worldwide Marine Underwriters, Yamaha Motor Co., Alumacraft, Bait Rigs Tackle Co., DuraSafe Locks, Fish on Kids Books, G2-Gemini, Kingfisher Boats , Larson Boats, Liddle Marketing Company, Matzuo, Moonshine Lures, Motor Guide, National Fleet Graphics, Northland Fishing Tackle, Off Shore Tackle, Pasha Lake Cabins, Powrtran, Simms Fishing, Smooth Moves, St. Croix Rods, Strike King, Target Walleye, The Next Bite, Warrior Boats, High Tech Fishing, Fishing the Wildside, and Financial Planning Services. More NPAA news, member and association news can be viewed at www.npaa.net. Additional information on the FAF can be found at www.futureangler.org .