A Tackle The Storm Thank You

The following was penned by our good friend, Don Barone. Keri and I are lucky to be acquainted with such a humble and talented guy.

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Every year around this time things start ramping up for me, start organizing and packing for a season on the road, start feeling bad about leaving bb and the family for a months on the road and trying to get all the tax stuff for the dreaded IRS filing.

 

One task though I look forward to…sending out the IRS deduction letters to all the folks who have donated over the past year to Tackle The Storm Foundation.

 

I shouldn’t wait this long to send the letters out but when I’m on the road keeping track of things is crazy, no excuse, just the truth.

 

This year I will have sent out all-in-all about 180 deduction letters, each one done one at a time, not because I don’t know how to do the batch thing (I don’t though) but because I want to make it personal…I type in every name, every address, every amount and what their donation did for the kids and then sign it, lick the envelope, stick the stamp on it and go down to the Post Office and hand the letter to the counter lady.

 

60 letters went out yesterday.  Our donations this year ranged from large to little, as it is every year.  We had a several thousand dollar donation, many hundred, two hundred, three hundred dollar donations, dozens of $20/$10/$5 cash donations…and one sandwich bag filled with quarters, nickels and dimes given to me by a young child.

 

A young boy sent me half of his Christmas money to help other children.

 

In Minnesota a young girl walked up to me and gave me an envelope that contained 6 one dollar bills, two quarters and seven pennies, “from my lemonade stand yesterday.”

 

I always wonder where the money comes from, these two weeks as I type the addresses I get to see.  I type over and over, CR (county road), FTM (Farm To Market), State Hwy, RR (Rural Route), PO Box.

 

One from Manhattan, NY…one from Manhattan, Kansas.

 

Several from the “News”…New York, New Hampshire, New Mexico.  The state of Washington and Florida, California and Connecticut.

 

Oklahoma, Missouri, both of those Dakotas, Idaho, Texas, Wisconsin…a 10 spot in CASH from Puerto Rico.  The Aussies gave me some of their Aussie change, from South Africa I got some cool looking bills…all deposited in the Tackle The Storm account, the local bank teller look was alone worth the trip.

 

We are not a fancy non-profit, most of it still runs off our dining room table and takes up one garage bay and what used to be the kids bedrooms.

 

We don’t have a ton of cash in the bank, don’t throw fancy gigs or give away big ticket stuff, we keep it simple.

 

The Board believes in one thing…absolute benevolence…giving without expecting anything back, it wouldn’t work without that belief and these are the people who make the it work:

 

Barb Barone

Bill Crews

Dawn Broadley

Skeet Reese

John Crews

Terry Baksay

Jeff Martin

Glenn May

Keri May

Terri Ossi

Karin Zona

Judith Kelley

 

Through them we have put 1,417 children back on the water and 372 adults (Fathers/Mothers/Grandparents).

 

For all of you out there who do so much for us you have my debt, my gratitude, my heart.

 

FOR ALL OF YOU OUT THERE HIT BY THE LATEST STORMS IN THE SOUTH:  We are bulking up and are in the planning stages of having events in your areas to get you back on the water fishing as soon as reasonable.

 

Fishing clubs and B.A.S.S. Nation members in the areas hit please contact me at don.barone@tacklethestormfoundation.org to be involved in coordinating and helping the people in your local communities.

 

When the appropriate time comes we will put all those who lost their fishing stuff to the storms BACK ON THE WATER FISHING.  You have my word on that.

 

May you have peace in your life and may all your dreams come true,

 

db

Board Chairman

Tackle The Storm Foundation

A Federal 501 c (3) Public Charity