KANSAS CITY, Mo.— Under overcast skies following morning rain, more than 100 young anglers reeled in bluegill and channel catfish at Penn Valley Lake on Saturday, Sept. 12, for the newly renamed Dave Coleman Memorial Kansas City Take Kids Fishing Day.
Organized by the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA), Greater Kansas City Building & Construction Trades Council (BCTC), and Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO, the free annual event brought together 183 total participants, including kids and parents or guardians.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (DOC) and Kansas City Parks & Recreation provided additional support, and every youth received a free fishing rod and reel set to encourage them to keep fishing in the future.
This year’s event carried added significance, taking place nearly a year to the day after the passing of Dave Coleman, former business manager of Ironworkers Local 10 and co-founder of the Kansas City event. With Coleman’s family in attendance, organizers unveiled the Dave Coleman Memorial Catch of the Day photo banner that will be displayed at all the USA’s youth fishing events going forward.
“For us, it was a memorial to Dave,” said Kevin Kuritz of Ironworkers Local 10. “We lost our brother, and we’re carrying on his legacy. Dave was a hell of a fisherman, loved hunting and sharing that passion for the outdoors with kids.”
Volunteers and instructors from the Ironworkers Local 10 apprentice program rigged rods and prepped gear bags for attendees. Nearly 30 volunteers representing Ironworkers Local 10, Kansas City BCTC, Kansas City AFL-CIO, Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International and Local 518, Insulators Local 27, Bricklayers Local 15, Teamsters Local 41, Marriott Hotels, Missouri DOC, and Bank of Labor as well as family members of Dave Coleman worked directly with children and parents along the bank to teach and help with casting, baiting the hook, and handling fish once they were hooked.
“Holding this event in honor of Dave’s passing was deeply special, especially with his family there,” said Alise Martiny, vice-president of Operative Plasterers’ and Cement Masons’ International Association. “Despite the morning rain…the fish were really biting. We’re so grateful to the volunteers from Ironworkers Local 10 who set up all the gear. Seeing the excitement out there, especially one mom and her three young girls pulling in nearly 40 fish, really proved what this event means to our community.”
Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA): The USA is a union-dedicated, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose members hunt, fish, shoot and volunteer their skills for conservation. The USA is uniting the union community through conservation to preserve North America’s outdoor heritage. For more information, visit www.unionsportsmen.org or connect on Facebook, X, YouTube and Instagram.
Work Boots on the Ground (WBG): WBG is the USA’s flagship conservation program that brings together union members willing to volunteer their time and expertise to conservation projects that improve and enhance public access to the outdoors, conserve wildlife habitat, restore America’s parks and mentor youth in the outdoors. The USA’s Work Boots on the Ground program works closely with federal, state and local agencies and other conservation groups to provide manpower needed to complete critical projects that may otherwise go undone.
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