QUEENSTOWN, Md. — The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) welcomed 70 youth and more than 160 participants to the Richard L. Trumka Memorial Get Youth Outdoors Day on June 27 at the Point at Pintail.
The fifth annual event honored the late AFL-CIO President and USA Chairman of the Board by introducing the next generation to the outdoors.
Sixteen volunteers representing several unions and partner organizations helped youth experience archery, fishing and sporting clays shooting. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources also provided hunter safety education workshops throughout the day.
Each youth participant received a free rod and reel, while several attendees took home raffle prizes.
Jason Wilson learned about the event from friends just one day before it took place and brought his two sons, Jase and Ben. Jase won a Carhartt backpack during the raffle, while Ben took home a USA hat, turkey call and fishing kit. More importantly, the day sparked a new passion for fishing.
“Before this, they’d only ever caught small bluegills, so catching bigger fish was incredibly exciting for them,” Wilson said. “Seeing that excitement and sense of accomplishment made the experience unforgettable. Within 24 hours after the event, they asked at least 10 times when we’re going fishing again.”
Trumka’s passion for hunting, fishing, shooting and passing on North America’s outdoor heritage helped launch and shape the USA’s mission. The annual event continues that legacy by connecting the next generation outdoors, creating lifelong memories and building the next generation of outdoor stewards.
Union Insurance Group (UIG) Business Development Associate Jeremiah Sullivan spent the day helping youths at the fishing station and said nearly every kid caught at least one fish.
“The first kid I helped get started was about 4 or 5 years old and he was with his mom,” Sullivan said. “She told me this was both of their first time fishing, and she did not really know what to do or how to help, so I baited his hook and showed him how to cast. Within seconds, he had a fish on the line, and when he landed it, he was jumping with joy. For the rest of the day when I’d check in on him, he’d say, ‘I love fishing.’”
Volunteers represented USA founding partners UIG, Ullico and Bank of Labor, along with Backbone Coffee, Steamfitters Local 602, Roofers International and Office and Professional Employees International Union Local 2.
USA Conservation Coordinator Maggie Sager was thankful for the volunteers who helped make the event a success.
“From registration and shooting safety, to helping kids unhook catfish, this event would not be possible without the help of our volunteers,” Sager said. “They showed up and showed out in every single part of the event.”
Wilson appreciated the sense of community he experienced throughout the event.
“I didn’t grow up in a union household, but I’ve always admired the strong sense of camaraderie and brotherhood that unions seem to foster,” he said. “That’s something that really draws me in and has me thinking that a union career could be a great path for my kids as they get older.”
Sullivan explained the importance of spending time outside.
“Kids gain a certain respect for nature, and a love for being outside and all it has to offer – which is hard to do in today’s world with phone screens being introduced to kids at such a young age,” he said. “It creates an outlet away from the stress of everyday life, which gets more important the older we get. It also creates the next generation of outdoorsmen and women, who will one day be responsible to preserve the places we get to do these activities.”
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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