Fishing Forever Update www.fishingforever.ca
2007 FISHING FOREVER DINNER & AUCTION Fishing Forever held its annual fundraising dinner and auction on October 23 at Le Dome in Oakville, Ontario and once again the fishing and business communities turned out in force to support fishing and conservation in Ontario. Originally planned as a 450-seat affair, the popularity of this annual event has never been more in evidence as close to 500 people showed up for the festivities. Some last minute scrambling ensured that there were enough tables and chairs for everyone and Le Dome’s kitchen staff did a marvellous job in accommodating the additional diners. The sponsor support for the live and silent auctions was incredible with tens of thousands of dollars worth of items being donated to the cause. The auction items included all-inclusive fishing trip packages; golf trips; fishing rods, reels and electronics; camping and outdoors gear; hardware; clothing; jewellery; hunting supplies and much more. Bidding was fast and furious and at the end of the night there were just three unsold items! New for this year, and the highlight of the evening, was a lottery draw co-sponsored by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. Three grand prizes were up for grabs – a brand new Chevrolet Equinox, a
Polaris ATV and a Lund boat and Mercury motor package. Jamie Janzen of St. Catharines, Ontario was the winner of the Equinox, Don Hindmarch took home the Polaris ATV and Mike Sifton won the Lund boat and Mercury motor. In a true show of generosity, Mr. Sifton donated his prize back to Fishing Forever where it was immediately put on the auction block. After some heated bidding, Mr. Peter Serrani, from Cayuga, Ontario, ended up as the high bidder and new owner of a wonderful fishing rig. Along with the fundraising aspect of the Fishing Forever Dinner and Auction, the evening also provided an opportunity to recognize those people who go above and beyond the call in supporting and promoting fishing and conservation. Wayne Izumi was honoured with the Rick Amsbury Award for his incredible drive and tenacity in organizing the annual Fishing Forever Dinner and Auction. For the past eight years Wayne has been responsible for obtaining a great number of the products and services offered in the auctions. He also regularly sells over half of the dinner tickets each year. There’s no question that Wayne’s dedication to Fishing Forever is the driving force behind the organization’s growth and one of the main reasons they have been able to donate over half a million dollars to fisheries related
Jamie Janzen accepts his Chevrolet Equinox from John Holland of Holland Motors in Burlington
Wayne Izumi accepts the 2007 Rick Amsbury Award from brother Bob.
projects over the years. Also honoured by Fishing Forever were Bob Wells from the Kingston and District Rod and Gun Club and Michael Klimm of the York Regional Police Force. Both men received the newly created Ambassador
Award for their outstanding contributions to the Kids, Cops and Canadian Tire Fishing Days programme.
Keith Aubrey of the Police Association of Ontario presents Ambassador Awards to Bob Wells of the Kingston and District Rod and Gun Club (above) and Michael Klimm of the York Region Police Association (below).
No matter how you look at it, this year’s Fishing Forever Dinner and Auction was a huge success thanks to the help and support of the fishing industry, the business community, all of the support staff who work tirelessly to ensure the success of the evening and, of course, everyone who showed their support for fishing by attending the dinner. Without them, Fishing Forever could not exist and one more source of fisheries funding would be lost.
Mr. Peter Serrani with his new Lund boat/Mercury motor package.
Real Fishing Winter 2008 33