Builders Care, a charitable arm of the Northeast Florida Builders Association, was selected by TECO Peoples Gas to receive proceeds from a charity bass tournament this summer.
The tournament is scheduled for June 5 at the Crystal Cove Marina in Palatka. Sen. Jim King is honorary chair of the event, which will be conducted by River City Tournaments with Ed Taylor serving as tournament director.
“We are very excited about the potential this bass tournament holds for Builders Care,” said Bill Wilson, Builders Care executive director. “A lot of people in the building industry will support this type of event and have a good time in the process. It doesn’t hurt that the event is open to the public, and anyone who loves to fish and compete can enter.”
Wilson said Builders Care will receive 100 percent of the proceeds generated by sponsorships.
“Builders Care and its mission have touched many lives,” Wilson said. “In fewer than three years, we have been able to provide assistance to nearly 400 homeowners who either needed emergency repairs or help they just couldn’t find anywhere else.”
The Jacksonville City Council recently presented Builders Care with a resolution in recognition of its “outstanding work in helping provide affordable housing for Jacksonville’s citizens.”
Citing an estimated 30,000 to 40,000 substandard housing units in the city – many inhabited by the elderly and disabled, the resolution commended Builders Care for its ability to marshal more than 17,000 hours of volunteer labor and nearly $1.5 million in private funds through the efforts of NEFBA and in partnership with such agencies as Meals on Wheels, City of Jacksonville Code Enforcement Division, Jacksonville Area Legal Aid, the Florida Department of Children and Families, Independent Living, City Council members and local pastors to identify residents truly in need and to provide rapid response to dealing with essential life and health safety issues.
The TECO-sponsored tournament is a team tournament consisting of two anglers per boat. Anticipated prizes, based on 100 boats entered in competition, are $5,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place and $1,000 for third place. Other cash prizes will be awarded to fourth through 15th places. The biggest fish will net a $600 award and the second biggest $400.
“The bass tournament is an event we believe is well suited to the builders, contractors and others in the residential construction industry,” said Trudy Clark with TECO Peoples Gas. “The fishing tournament has wide appeal, and it gives more people a chance to participate than, say, a golf tournament.”
The first 150 boats to register will receive captains’ bags, and Clark advises anglers to submit their entries soon.
For information about tournament registration, contact Missy Dalrymple, TECO Peoples Gas, at (904) 739-4888.
For information about sponsorship levels and benefits, call Bill Wilson, Builders Care, at (904) 721-3443.