Anglers are being sought to participate in the 29th\u00a0annual LCEC Fishing Tournament \u2014 a virtual tournament \u2014 to benefit the United Way of Lee, Hendry, and Glades Counties this April with festivities to take place at D&D Matlacha Bait and Tackle.<\/p>\n
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The event will take place Saturday, April 18, with an honor start at 7 a.m. and a final photo submission by 3 p.m. There is a mandatory captains\u2019 meeting scheduled for Friday, April 17 to review rules and distribute team angler bags.<\/p>\n
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Kennedy Vandyke, current chair of the tournament, said it became a virtual fishing tournament \u2013 catch and release \u2013 to protect the local estuaries. In other words, anglers take a photo of their catch, instead of bringing it in to weigh the fish. She said when the photograph is submitted through the app there is an offsite review to make sure no cheating is happening.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThey approve it and the leaderboard automatically updates,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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The day of the tournament will include cash and prizes awarded, along with a silent auction, raffles, food and festivities at D&D around 5 p.m.<\/p>\n
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The tournament attracts between 200 to 250 anglers, which equates to about 80 boats.<\/p>\n
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Those interested in participating can sign up by downloading the FishDonkey app and search LCEC29 to register their team. There is a $100 register fee per angler. The tournament includes four anglers per boat.<\/p>\n
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Vandyke said they went to the app during COVID because they wanted to raise money for United Way and get people out on the water.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s a smoother run tournament and we are still raising money for a great cause,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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The tournament has raised more than $800,000 for United Way since its inception in 1996.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s not just about fishing, it\u2019s bringing people together to support a great cause that benefits the local community,\u201d she said. \u201cUnited Way is a big partner in this area \u2013 the Southwest Florida community. They do so much. We are so grateful to have opportunities to give back.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Vandyke said LCEC has a longstanding partnership with United Way. Every employee has a tie to United Way in some way due to their broad umbrella of agencies. She said instead of just picking one specific agency that maybe not every employee is passionate about, they partner with United Way as a whole.<\/p>\n
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United Way Lee, Hendry, and Glades Chief Development Officer Karen Turcotte said they have been partners with LCEC for all 29 years of the fishing tournament.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThey have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for our community. They are an invaluable partner of ours,\u201d she said. \u201cThe money goes to helping meet critical needs, supporting veterans, and helping children and families. We serve in our network of providers \u2013 90 partner agencies and over 265 programs.\u201d<\/p>\n
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In addition, there are more than 30 resiliency hubs that operate like little social service entities within the community.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThose hubs, resiliency hubs, are also part of that overall network that helps support each individual community. They are located in high need areas and within walking distances for families that have transportation challenges,\u201d Turcotte said.<\/p>\n
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She said it is really about the power of the network.<\/p>\n
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\u201cOnce we pull together and help to identify those gaps, we consider ourselves connectors and determine what needs there are and be that conduit to care and be able to connect the resources with the families and people that are need,\u201d Turcotte said. \u201cA lot of requests come from the 211 line \u2013 that central help line where anybody can call the line and get connected with a specialist who will do an intake and get to know what the person is in need of and help provide a pathway to those resources.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
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The biggest need right now is housing.<\/p>\n
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Turcotte said LCEC is a company that really embodies community spirit.<\/p>\n
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\u201cAll the money stays local and over 96% of the funds go directly into programs,\u201d she said of what is raised from the tournament.<\/p>\n
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The money goes through a fund distribution process \u2013 a pass through and give back to the community process. The fund distribution process takes more than 300 volunteers from the community that are engaged and put on teams.<\/p>\n
\u2028\u201dAll 90 partner agencies are vetted,\u201d Turcotte said. \u201cThose volunteers read the application, look at the board of directors, funding, outcome measure and impact that they have and go and do a site visit to see where the money is going. They come back and make recommendations.\u201d<\/p>\n
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The agencies are monitored on a monthly basis and if they fall out of line with the expectations, United Way withholds funding.<\/p>\n
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The United Way\u2019s campaign goal is to raise more than $11.5 million to meet the needs that are requested.<\/p>\n
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\u201cLCEC is a pillar in our community. They really show up for people in need. Whether that is every day programmatic things, to a disaster in our community, they are on board with us to help be part of the solution. We are grateful for their support over the many years,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
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For more information about the tournament, visit<\/p>\n
https:\/\/uw.lcec.net\/fishing\/,\u00a0facebook.com\/lcecfish<\/a>, or\u00a0Fish@lcec.net<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n LCEC, headquarters in North Fort Myers, has been in the same location since 1940. The six-county territory includes Cape Coral, North Fort Myers, Pine Island, Sanibel\/Captiva, parts of Lehigh Acres, Useppa, Cabbage Key, Marco Island, Immokalee, Everglades City, and Ava Maria.<\/p>\n