The ninth annual Treasure Coast Bonito Blast (TCBB), which works with various Treasure Coast businesses to create an event that brings our quaint community (with a serious fishing problem) together in appreciation and support of the Wounded Veteran’s Relief Fund (WVRF) returns Aug. 13-14, 2021. Substantial prize money, dinners, live music, auction items, raffle and family fun has made this one of the largest one-day tournaments on the Treasure Coast.
The bonitos are always biting at this time of the year. To date, the tournament has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the WVRF, which has provided assistance to hundreds of veterans (https://wvrf.org). Come on Treasure Coast anglers, do your part to give back to those who gave so much by supporting the TCBB. This a way to give back, especially for those of us who did not serve.
The WVRF was founded in 2009 to support and assist our Florida veterans and to serve as a bridge for transition into civilian life. The organization provides immediate emergency financial support to these much deserving veterans. More than 85% of all funds donated to WVRF go directly toward veteran assistance, earning them GuideStar’s platinum level recognition for performance and serving Florida’s veterans. WVRF assists in getting veterans lives back on track by helping with job training, housing, transportation, past-due bills, child needs and other forms of assistance. For example, the WVRF has recently developed a new and separate dental program that will not only improve the physical and mental health of our Florida veterans, but also improve their quality of life. The WVRF mission is to save lives and keep these families together. We enjoy the many blessings of freedom, which are not “free”, secured for us by these heroic veterans’, and their families’, many sacrifices. Home of the free because of the brave.
As Mike Durkee, Executive Director of WVRF has said, “The veterans’ stories are why we do what we do. When they return home after fighting for our freedom, a new journey begins, often fraught with hardships. We are grateful to the community for their incredible generosity and support of these heroes after all they’ve done for us”.
New this year is a pre-event party scheduled on Fri., Aug. 6, 5-7 p.m. at Pirates Cove Resort and Marina, located at 4307 SE Bayview Street, Stuart, where early registration and tournament t-shirts will be available for purchase.
A captain’s meeting will be held at 6 p.m. on Fri., Aug. 13, 2021. It will include dinner, tent events and entertainment. The tournament will take place Sat., Aug. 14, 2021, and an awards party on Saturday night will include dinner, a silent auction and music. Event organizers expect over 180 registered boats with over 100 veterans fishing in the tournament.
Pirates Cove Resort and Marina will host the Aug. 13 captain’s meeting, weigh-in on the dock Sat., Aug 14, from noon to 3 p.m., and the post-tournament awards party, which kicks off at 5 p.m.
TCBB is a 501(c3) event. Contributions are tax deductible.
Visit the TCBB Facebook page and its website for more information, tournament details and to register: www.TreasureCoastBonitoBlast.com.
