By Sue Erwin Photos from the Boca Beacon archives The 7th annual Gasparilla Island Kids Classic Tarpon Tournament presented by Columbia Sportswear is planned for Saturday, June 10, 2017. Seven years ago, Captain Sandy Melvin teamed up with island residents Bill Klettke and Michael Vaughn to form an organization called Boca Grande Charities, Inc. with the goal of hosting a fun and educational event that gives back to the community. “Our motivation for starting this tournament was to get kids involved in fishing and to further the historical significance of Boca Grande tarpon fishing,” Melvin said. “We want to help create the next generation of fishermen and at the same time, teach them valuable life lessons and show them how to give back.” Volunteers and benefactors immediately jumped on board to support the cause and sponsors soon began stepping forward to help. Operation costs for the tournaments are in excess of $25,000 each year. The sponsors and friends of the event offset those expenses and 100 percent of the entry fees are donated to charity. The theme of the event is “Kids Helping Kids.” Every June, young anglers converge on Boca Grande with their families, many for the first time, to participate in the tournament. “They’re so excited to be here and they really have a great time,” Melvin said. It’s an all-day event so the kids get to participate in a lot of different activities. Bill Klettke, one of the founders of Boca Grande Charities, said the concept and our mission was to create a fun, competitive and unique event for youth that encourages sportsmanship, goodwill, conservation and education while recognizing the Boca Grande community and its tarpon fishing history and traditions. 38 GASPARILLA ISLAND May/June 2017
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