{"id":278274,"date":"2026-05-20T16:35:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:35:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/278274\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T16:35:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T16:35:12","slug":"florida-ironworkers-give-back-through-take-kids-fishing-day","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/278274\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida Ironworkers Give Back Through Take Kids Fishing Day"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Union volunteers representing Ironworkers Local 397 gather for a photo before the event at the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center. <\/p>\n

Over 200 attendees were introduced to fishing and the outdoors at the 2026 Union Sportsmen\u2019s Alliance (USA) Ironworkers Local 397 Take Kids Fishing Day on April 25 at the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center. <\/p>\n

All 128 kids in attendance took home a free rod and reel. In addition to fishing, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission held three educational stations about fish identification and regulations, knot tying and casting. <\/p>\n

Twenty-five volunteers from Ironworkers Local 397 provided instruction, including financial secretary-treasurer and business agent Keven Barber. The day was especially meaningful for Barber, who fished with his 5-year-old grandson, Bryar, for the first time. <\/p>\n

\"\"A group of youth anglers smile with their fishing poles at the Ironworkers Local 397 Take Kids Fishing Day. 128 kids attended the event.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe got there with me early to help me set up and stayed all day,\u201d Barber said. \u201cI think he had fun wandering around and helping other kids. We worked on how to cast, and he baited his own hook with a shrimp. After that, he told me that he didn\u2019t need my help anymore.\u201d <\/p>\n

USA conservation coordinator Maggie Sager said volunteers helped create a welcoming and engaging experience for youths and their families. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe volunteers showed the community what mentorship, community service and giving back look like,\u201d she said. \u201cThey helped create meaningful connections with the kids while bringing the USA\u2019s mission to life by introducing the next generation to the outdoors.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"A father and son catch a fish at the 2026 Ironworkers Local 397 Take Kids Fishing Day.<\/p>\n

Take Kids Fishing Day is part of a series of free, community-based youth outreach events organized under the USA\u2019s flagship conservation program, Work Boots on the Ground. The Suncoast Youth Conservation Center\u2019s wheelchair-accessible boardwalk and fishing pier were constructed by local union volunteers back in 2019 as part of the\u202fUSA\u2019s 200th Work Boots on the Ground project<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cIt was incredibly meaningful to host this event on the same pier these volunteers built seven years ago through Work Boots on the Ground,\u201d Sager said. \u201cSeeing it still in great shape and continuing to serve the community shows the lasting impact these projects have in creating outdoor opportunities for years to come.\u201d <\/p>\n

\"\"One youth participant catches a fish at the Ironworkers Local 397 Take Kids Fishing Day.<\/p>\n

Barber explained the value of this event for union members. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis event is a great way to give back,\u201d he said. \u201cAs union members, we do a lot for our communities without expecting anything back. It means a lot to get kids outdoors because the outdoors has always meant a lot to me. I just want to share that with my own family and other kids in the community.\u201d <\/p>\n

For more information, visit https:\/\/unionsportsmen.org\/<\/a> or connect on Facebook, X, YouTube and Instagram. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Union volunteers representing Ironworkers Local 397 gather for a photo before the event at the Suncoast Youth Conservation…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":278275,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-278274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/278275"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}