Hearts and Hooks: Celebrating 20 Years of Fishing for Kids

Twenty years ago, a group of maintenance workers at UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital came together with a dream. A dream of making a difference in children’s lives. A dream to give back to the hospital in ways they could see.

From their determination was born the Fishing for Kids tournament, an effort that is now approaching its 20th anniversary. What started with a modest $700 in its first year has now raised over $300,000 for UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital.

“The amount is amazing,” Director of Maintenance, John Willingham, said. “I didn’t really think about the amount being that much, but we focus on the benefits and the children that we see on the units. That’s the exciting part, to see how it improves the outcomes of the patients.”

The tournament found its stride when youth anglers were invited to participate, bringing a new energy to the event that kept the focus on the children.

One of the first beneficiaries of adding youth anglers to the tournament was Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals ambassador, Sage Pridemore. Pridemore was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, meaning he was born with half of a heart.

He underwent three critical surgeries before receiving a heart transplant at age 14. Despite his apprehension, due to missing his first opportunity for a transplant due to food poisoning, he found peace in his journey

“[Getting the heart] was surreal. Of course it was amazing, but I almost didn’t want to be let down. I believe getting the first heart wasn’t the right thing for that time, and I believe I got the right one. God did it for a reason,” Pridemore said.

As a child, and still today, fishing plays an important role in his life, so attending Fishing for Kids was a no-brainer.

“I love fishing, just going out there and having fun, so when the moment the Fishing for Kids guys asked me to be in that, we hopped on it,” Pridemore said. “It was amazing. That day, we didn’t bring a boat, so they provided us with one. We went out, went fishing and it was amazing.”

To this day, Pridemore still inspires the facilities team and reminds them of why they hold the tournament.

“Sage and I started a long time ago. A lot of people see me carry my [padfolio], and I pull out this picture of Sage from when he was younger than he is now. I carry it with me every day and it reminds me of why I do it and why we do it as a team,” Willingham said.

The upcoming 20th annual tournament on April 26 at Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchee, Fla., represents more than just a fishing tournament. It’s an example of the miracles that can happen when a community comes together to provide hope for an inspirational cause.

“We hope to raise $100,000 a year and continue this for another 25 years,” maintenance team member, Dewayne Cowart, said. “Last year, five of my grandkids got to fish. That means everything to me.”

With a new generation of dedicated personnel stepping up behind Cowart and Willingham, the future of Fishing for Kids looks brighter than ever.

“There’s so many words you could use to describe the tournament, but awesome is what comes to my mind,” Willingham said. “It really makes you feel good that you’re contributing to something that is going to mean a lot to somebody, and in fact, their outcome in life.”

What began as a dream two decades ago has become a powerful testament to the difference that a community, and commitment, can make – one fish, one child at a time.

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Fishing for Kids, which benefits UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital, is slated to take place on Saturday, April 26 at Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchee, Fla. Join us as this year’s tournament includes a raffle, fish fry, trophies and $2,500 in prizes for tournament winners. Participants and their families are welcome to take part in an informal low country boil on Friday evening at Sea Hag Marina. Registration for the tournament can be found here.

From the UF Health Shands Children’s Hospital facilities team:

Thank you to Sea Hag Marina for allowing us to host this event with full control. We’ve held our tournament there for a long time, and it’s a great facility with better people. We could not have done this without Children’s Miracle Network and their support. They do so much work promoting, emailing, and securing sponsorships. We appreciate all their hard work.