| Author | Message | ||
     Eric Badofsky Guest |
Monday, July 26, 2004 WISCONSIN-BASED GROUP PROVIDES HUNTING AND FISHING TRIPS TO DISABLED AND TERMINALLY ILL CHILDREN PITTSVILLE, WISCONSIN: For most parents, taking a family hunting or fishing trip with the kids is something that is all too easy to take for granted. Unfortunately, there are thousands of American families who share a love of the outdoors, but who can’t share the assumption of their children’s health. They’re families with a child suffering from a terminal illness or a wrenching disability that, tragically, will rob many of them of their lives before they reach adulthood. Like other budding young hunters and anglers, these kids harbor a passion for outdoor adventure; but – unlike most other children – their outdoor dreams may never be fulfilled. Fulfilling those dreams has become the mission of the United Special Sportsmen Alliance (USSA), a grassroots, all-volunteer organization based in Pittsville, Wisconsin. Through the USSA’s "Outdoor Adventures" program and its team of volunteers, the Alliance has already placed hundreds of deserving youngsters on dream hunting and fishing trips. This year, the USSA determined to arrange 600 of these very special expeditions. Currently, the USSA is seeking support from the outdoor sporting community, in any of four forms: If you know of a seriously ill or disabled child who dreams of a hunting or fishing trip of a lifetime, please have their parents or legal guardians contact the USSA at (800) 518-8019, and the volunteer team will do everything they possibly can to fulfill the child’s wish. If you own a shooting preserve, hunting or fishing lodge, and would like to donate a trip to one of the children on the USSA’s national waiting list, please contact USSA founder Brigid O’Donoghue at (800) 518-8019 with available dates, species and requirements. From there, the USSA will work hard match appropriate children to your donation, based on their desires and physical limitations. If you have any gently-used hunting or angling gear collecting dust in the attic (or if you know of a tackle/gear manufacturer or retailer willing to open their heart to these needy kids), please consider donating your equipment to the USSA. Many or the USSA’s children come from homes whose financial resources are all but completely drained by medical bills, ongoing treatments and therapy, and these small gifts – a rod & reel, a hunting vest – even a simple fishing patch for their jacket – often become treasured mementos. If you’d simply like to show your support by making a financial contribution, annual USSA memberships start at just $25, and you can enroll online at www.ChildsWish.com. Contributions are tax-deductible, and because no one on the USSA staff accepts financial compensation of any kind, 100% of your gift goes directly toward helping children in need. There is, of course, a special sense of urgency here. You see, for these children, there is little time left to defer their dreams…dreams that can come true with the help of the hunting & fishing community. The United Special Sportsmen Alliance is an all-volunteer, 501(C)(3) charity headquartered at 7864 Shotwell Road, Pittsville, WI 54466. For more information, call (800) 518-8019, or log onto www.childswish.com. Company: United Special Sportsmen Alliance Web Site: http://www.ChildsWish.com Region(s): International Midwest Northeast Southeast Northwest Southwest Category(s): Camping Educational Outreach Fishing - Fresh/Salt/Fly Hunting Organizations/Associations Other Contact: Eric Badofsky Email: badofsky-luft@comcast.net Phone: (847) 676-8424 |
