Friday, June 7, 2019

The Ike Foundation Announces 2019 College Scholarship Winners

CONTACT: Becky Iaconelli (571) 215-4366 or becky@professionaledgefishing.com

Pittsgrove, NJ. — Recipients of The Ike Foundation® third annual College Scholarship Awards have been announced, according to Mike Iaconelli, professional bass angler and president of the foundation.

Winners are Nate Steelman from Allendale, MI, Ethan Vallebuona from New City, NY, Margaret Kelly from Portland, ME, Nicholas Phippen from Winthrop, NY, and Zachary Spence from Newark, DE. All have grade point averages of 3.0 or better, are avid anglers or contribute to outdoor conservation and are headed to college in the fall, as required for scholarship consideration.

Foundation trustees conducted a blind review of over 60 high school seniors who applied for the scholarship. Applicants submitted essays about lessons they learned from their fishing experiences, along with references, grades, and information about extracurricular activities. Trustees scored submission using a pre-defined point system.

Recent 2019 Ike Foundation events:

The Ike Foundation® Scholarship Benefit Dinner held on January 25th at The Grove at Centerton, Pittsgrove, NJ, was attended by almost 300 people as well as corporate and local sponsors that support The Ike Foundation®. This single event supported this year’s five $3,500 college scholarships to the recipients named above.

The Ike Foundation® attended the 2019 Bassmaster Classic in Knoxville, TN in March, 2019. Children ‘Painted their Own Baits’ in the Berkley booth and entered a fishing themed coloring contest in the Toyota booth. Flambeau was present and gave away Ike Bigmouth Tackle Boxes to hundreds of kids in attendance.

On May 12th, The Ike Foundation® hosted Ike’s Hook'em Early Kids Fishing Event, a free kids fishing tournament at Haddon Lake Park, NJ. 200 children, aged 15 and under, along with their parent chaperones competed for prizes based on the total length of the fish they caught.

Upcoming 2019 Ike Foundation® events are as follows:

·The first annual Ike’s Casino Night In The City, Thursday, August 8thth, 7:00 pm-10:00 pm, at Yards Brewing Co., 500 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia, PA. Casino games, live music, a silent auction and a basket auction of donated items including fishing products, jewelry, sports memorabilia and more, will take place during the evening. Tickets, which include Yards beer, wine, hos d’oeuvres, dinner and dessert, are still available at Ike's Casino Night In the City

·The fourth annual Ike’s Celebrity Pro-Am Tournament, August 10th, 2019 from 6:30 am to 2:00 pm at the Camden Waterfront in Camden, New Jersey. Amateur anglers pay an entry fee to fish with a pro, fish from their own boats, or fish from a kayak to compete for prizes. The kayak division is a Hobie Bass Open Series (BOS) Satellite Event. The first-place winner of the boat division will receive a brand new BassCat boat and Yamaha motor, and the winner of the kayak division will win a competitor’s spot and paid entry to the Tournament of Champions in Arkansas. Registration is open for both events at https://theikefoundation.org/2019-ike-foundation-tournament

·Ike’s Free Family Fun Fest will also take place on Saturday, August 10th, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at Wiggins Park on the Camden Waterfront. This event is free and includes a ‘Dry Land’ High School Fishing Challenge from 11:30 am-1:00 pm, (High School Fishing Challenge Registration required) games and prizes, a ‘color your own bait’ station, live music, delicious food and a Yards Beer Garden. All attendees are welcome to stay for the fishing tournament weigh-in at 2:00 pm.

·Ike’s AmBASSadors is a local, grass-roots program whose goal is to partner with organizations that impact children in underserved communities and introduce them to the sport of fishing. Ike’s AmBASSador volunteers will meet with children and their chaperones at local lakes and waterways and provide fishing lessons in a fun and educational format throughout many dates this summer and fall. Information can be found at Ike's AmBASSadors

Previous Ike’s Celebrity Pro-Am Tournaments have been met with great reception from the community and bass fishing industries. Almost 20 professional bass anglers and celebrities joined in the competition. Ike’s Family Fun Fest attendees enjoyed such family-friendly activities as carnival games, auctions, music, and food, along with visits to the nearby Camden Children’s Garden, Battleship New Jersey and the Adventure Aquarium. Every child that attended the event walked away with a brand-new Flambeau tackle box and enough free tackle to fill it. Thanks to the success of past tournaments, the foundation has been able to support other kid’s fishing programs by providing fishing equipment to approximately 30 youth community organizations across the country.

See TheIkeFoundation.org for more information and follow The Ike Foundation® on Facebook and Instagram @TheIkeFoundation and on Twitter @FoundationIke. The Ike Foundation® is a non-profit organization and all proceeds from events go to The Ike Foundation®’s mission. Tax-deductible contributions are welcome and can be made on the website via credit card.

The Ike Foundation® appreciates the generous donations from individuals and sponsors, including Toyota, Abu Garcia, Bass Cat Boats, Hobie, Yamaha, Flambeau, Rapala, Sawyer Products, RAM Mounts and many, many more. A full list of sponsors is found athttps://theikefoundation.org/sponsors.

The Ike Foundation®

The Mission of The Ike Foundation® is to get more kids fishing and in the outdoors, especially youth in areas where those activities are not readily available. We support youth fishing clubs, civic groups and charitable organizations that promote the sport of fishing, the ecology of the outdoors and the responsibility each person has to maintain our planet’s natural resources.

Founded in 2014 by professional bass angler Michael Iaconelli and his wife, Becky, The Ike Foundation® is approved by the IRS as a 501©(3) tax-exempt organization, and all donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law