Needless to say, our world has been turned upside down by COVID-19 and God only knows when things, hopefully, will get back to normal again! When Governor Murphy allowed restaurants to open to 25% capacity, my wife and I finally enjoyed having a nice meal at a restaurant instead of takeout!
This COVID-19 has caused the JCAA and other organizations to cancel their fundraisers because of social distancing. Unfortunately, because of this we will not have our Sportsperson of the Year Dinner during November 15th of this year. At our regular September meetings, clubs normally put forward their nominations as to which of their club members should receive this prestigious award. However, this is not necessary during our upcoming September 29th meeting due to the cancelation of this dinner. I know that a number of you look forward to this dinner by having a good meal, winning nice Dark Horse prizes and especially seeing deserving individuals receive the attention they deserve for their contributions to advance recreational fishing. I have seen so many familiar faces over the years at this function and I hope to see you all again when we have this dinner in November of 2021!
By having the Sportsperson of the Year Award, the JCAA makes about $8,000 after all expenses have been paid. This income has been lost and also the income we usually make with our annual Fluke Tournament and the Beefsteak Dinner that is put together by Paul Haertel. Speaking of Paul, I want to thank him again for running his Sharpie Fluke tournament on August 7, 8 and 9 that netted about $9,500 income for the JCAA!
At this time, we are considering the sale of the boat, motor and trailer that we would have used for our canceled fluke tournament. Nothing is off the table to raise funds to keep the JCAA as a viable organization. Also, the possibility of having a Blackfish tournament as a fundraiser in the fall is being considered.
With your support, the JCAA will get through this difficult time in its mission to represent the fishing rights of all anglers who fish in our state. Please send a contribution to the JCAA office located at 1594 Lakewood Road, Ste. 13, Toms River, NJ 08755 to help the JCAA stay in action to represent you in all the fishing battles we continue to fight for you! Any amount, large or small, would be most appreciated! Thank You!
