EFN joins forces with Big Brothers & Big Sisters

Troy Fritz, (middle) Minnesota State Chairman for Big Brothers-Big Sisters with EFN owners James Holst (left) and Steve Hougom (right).

EFN Pro-Staff Director (and past Big Brother), Dave Hoggard, introduced a EFN/BB-BS program at this January 7th. Walleye Searchers seminar. The meeting and seminar was held at the Rochester Elks Club. The seminar also included “Drop-Shotting – A Kids Rig!” fishing information and told of EFN’s growth as a up-and-coming Internet fishing information provider. The EFN/BB-BS program is an effort by EFN (the Electronic Fishing Network, owners of http://www.fishtheriver.com and http://www.fishthelake.com) to take BB-BS kids out fishing with members of EFN’s rapidly growing Pro-Staff Team and to provide pro-fishermen as role models. Fishing plans are being made to include the all six of the Minnesota BB/BS agencies.

The Owatonna BB-BS agency has 106 matches and 26 kids ages 4 to 24 on a waiting list to be matched with a “big”. A new BB/BS agency is being started in Dodge County.

EFN Webstaff

This will be a great partnership. Could there be a better way to make a kids day than to bring him/her out for a day on the water. I’m sure both the youngster and the Big Brother or Sister will have a day they will never forget.

Way to go guys!!

This is great news. What a wonderful thing to do for the youth in the area, hats off to al involved.

I am a former “Little Brother”. It is a great organization, and I am glad to have the opportunity to give something back.

Tuck

Great job guys! Let me know if I can help. Would be willing to donate some time.

-Jeff

Same reply as Jeff, let me know if I can help in any way.

Don

I would like to thank all of you who have offered support and asked to help-out in this EFN effort to get these BB/BS kids out for a day of fishing. Statistics show that if you do not get a kid to start fishing before age 16, that they’ll never become fishermen. I know from my past BB/BS experience that even one day on the water can change these kids lives, forever. And that fishing with our EFN Pro-Staff members, may provide the kids with another positive role model, in a time when role models help to make changes in their moral development and character formation.

You help will be appreciated and rewarded! You’ll take home with you, a great deal of gratification from working to help teach these kids to learn to fish. You’ll see that these kids vary greatly from the kids you see with their relatives at a “kids free fishing contest”. These kids are mostly in the BB/BS program because they may have no persons in their life’s that can, or might ever be able to take them to a lake. Many of these kids quite frankly, would be “missing the boat”, without their BB/BS connection. EFN wants to help make sure “they get into the boat”! Hopefully they’ll learn lots about fishing and catch some fish to boot.

EFN plans to have several all day “BB/BS-EFN Gatherings” in 2002, at places like Everts Resort and the Alma Fishing Float. These are places where these BB/BS matches may return to fish, again and again, after a day of EFN fishing fun and instruction. Many of our EFN Pro-Staff’s sponsors, such as Snyder Companies (of Dodge Center, MN makers of Jig-a-Whopper / distributors for SELMO USA) have offered to provide some fishing tackle for these kids use for the day, and some lures that they may take home! EFN will coordinate these gifts and all your efforts, and try to share some days on the water for as many BB/BS kids as possible in 2002. I will keep you posted on where and when these events shall take place. Again, thank you all for your support and help in this EFN effort. Hawger

Bringing this back to the top…. time is ticking! Can not wait…. Hawger

I’ll volunteer any time to take a BB BS fishing for a day. Let me know.

I would love to help out if I could,please e-mail me James and let me know.

Great thing to do. If you need any help let me know.

I think this is an excellent opportunity for all. If there is any services I can offer, let me know. I also live in Alma and if you see appropriate, could possiable line up a tour at Lock and Dam to teach kids what the river is all about.

Cool idea! Thanks, can you come to the BB/BS – EFN Gathering… Hawger

Yes, should beable to come to gathering. e-mail me at [email protected] or pass info. onto brother “fireflick”.