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| The Team Extreme Philly Fishing. Clockwise, starting at 12: Jay Daly, Leo Sheng, Rob Zito, and Mike Hsiao. |
Note: Last update - August 30th, 2012.
The Team Extreme Philly Fishing just passed $1000 dollars in fundraising for the FishAThon 2012, which will have its main event from September 7th to the 8th (24 hours of fishing! YEAH!). For more details on the event, and Team Extreme Philly Fishing's cause, click on the links below:
The Team Extreme Philly Fishing just passed $1000 dollars in fundraising for the FishAThon 2012, which will have its main event from September 7th to the 8th (24 hours of fishing! YEAH!). For more details on the event, and Team Extreme Philly Fishing's cause, click on the links below:
Now...for new drawings and prizes!
1. Please, NOTE: Anyone who donates a minimum of 5 dollars in honor to "Team Extreme Philly Fishing" from now until September 14th will automatically have his/her name in for a Dragon Custom Rod drawing! This is a special from the Recycled Fish non-profit organization!
2. Team Extreme Philly Fishing is appreciating all the donations coming in! Therefore, there will be a guaranteed prize for ANYONE who donates (or donated) $50 dollars or more to the fundraising! Note: total amount - i.e., a person can donate 20, and then 30.
For anyone who donates a total of $50 or more, a 4 hour fishing trip is offered to the donator as a guaranteed reward. The package includes:
- A 5 hour fishing trip on a SUNDAY, scheduled 1 week in advance (starting after September 14th).
- A 2-on-1 coaching system: 2 members of the team will teach the person how to fish. This includes the history of the body of water you will be fishing at, how to handle the equipment, good spots, good techniques for the place, etc. Even if the person is already knowledgeable about fishing, I can assure the donor that there will be new knowledge coming in.
- A choice of a Specific target-species. The recommended choices are Channel Catfish, Common Carp, and Largemouth Bass. The location will be chosen depending on the target Species.
- Transportation is provided (car).
- Light snacks and drinks will be provided.
- Leo will personally purchase you a PA Boat and Commission fishing license BEFORE the trip, if the donor does not have one. Note that the license alone is 23 dollars that you will be saving! If the trip is scheduled for 2012, the license will last until December 31st, 2012. If the trip is scheduled for 2013, the license will last until December 31st, 2013. This is a VERY SMART MOVE, if you think about it - after all, nobody has a 2013 fishing license yet! Therefore, if you donate 50 bucks and schedule your trip for next year, you will get your license for free and be able to enjoy a good day with us!
Note that WINTER is coming, so you may want to schedule your trip until the end of FALL, or after the beginning of SPRING. All donators that donated more than $50 for the FishAThon on behalf of Team Extreme Philly Fishing will receive an e-mail about this reward BEFORE September 14th.
2. Team Extreme Philly Fishing is appreciating all the donations coming in! Therefore, there will be a guaranteed prize for ANYONE who donates (or donated) $50 dollars or more to the fundraising! Note: total amount - i.e., a person can donate 20, and then 30.
For anyone who donates a total of $50 or more, a 4 hour fishing trip is offered to the donator as a guaranteed reward. The package includes:
- A 5 hour fishing trip on a SUNDAY, scheduled 1 week in advance (starting after September 14th).
- A 2-on-1 coaching system: 2 members of the team will teach the person how to fish. This includes the history of the body of water you will be fishing at, how to handle the equipment, good spots, good techniques for the place, etc. Even if the person is already knowledgeable about fishing, I can assure the donor that there will be new knowledge coming in.
- A choice of a Specific target-species. The recommended choices are Channel Catfish, Common Carp, and Largemouth Bass. The location will be chosen depending on the target Species.
- Transportation is provided (car).
- Light snacks and drinks will be provided.
- Leo will personally purchase you a PA Boat and Commission fishing license BEFORE the trip, if the donor does not have one. Note that the license alone is 23 dollars that you will be saving! If the trip is scheduled for 2012, the license will last until December 31st, 2012. If the trip is scheduled for 2013, the license will last until December 31st, 2013. This is a VERY SMART MOVE, if you think about it - after all, nobody has a 2013 fishing license yet! Therefore, if you donate 50 bucks and schedule your trip for next year, you will get your license for free and be able to enjoy a good day with us!
Note that WINTER is coming, so you may want to schedule your trip until the end of FALL, or after the beginning of SPRING. All donators that donated more than $50 for the FishAThon on behalf of Team Extreme Philly Fishing will receive an e-mail about this reward BEFORE September 14th.
3. Also, personally, Leo Sheng has been touched by the great generosity and humility from the Philadelphians and surrounding neighbors that donated. Times are tough at the moment, and every cent counts for everyone. I clearly understood since the first day of this fundraising that many wouldn't have the potential to donate; that many were going through hard times (and still are). The cost of living is increasing, while the rates of most salaries are staying the same. For this reason, I said it once that "it's a noble action in troubled times."
THEREFORE, apart from the Dragon Custom Rod drawing, one LUCKY DONATOR (excluding members of the Team who donated - sorry, Mike, Rob, Jay!) that donated [or donates (until September 14th!)] a $20 dollar minimum for the Team Extreme Philly Fishing will have the chance to win an AWESOME PRIZE. The winner of the drawing can choose between two great prizes that I've chosen:
Since I'm Brazilian...Choose to win a $100 dollar gift card for the famous Brazilian Steakhouse restaurant located on 12th and Chestnut - "Fogo de Chão," Center City, Philadelphia, PA,
OR
Since I'm a sportsman...Choose to win a $100 dollar Dick's Sporting Goods gift Card.
Since not all donators are fishermen, I've decided to include food option here. I'm sophisticated when it comes to food, so I wanted to share part of my own culture by offering a pleasant experience at an authentic Brazilian restaurant. Also, for non fisherman donators, Dick's also offers a good selection of branded clothes (I recommend Under Armour for any kind of physical activity). If you are not located in Philadelphia, or the restaurant is of difficult access to you, there's always the option of going to a Dick's around your house or even shop for it online! So, people that donated and people that will donate will be praised for their humility, generosity, and even have a chance to be extra rewarded for their noble action. Talk about throwing some spices in, huh? Heh.
To tell you the truth, the list of $20+ donors are pretty short! So, your chances of winning are actually pretty good. I'm a mathematician, so I calculated the odds. Although the prize is nothing SO EXCEPTIONAL, having people hoping for infinitesimal chances of winning is quite cruel! Heh.
The drawing for this extra prize will be performed on September 23rd, and the winner will have its name and picture announced on the Blog. The same will also receive an e-mail about its prize. The prize will very likely be handed by a Team member, followed by a free FishAThon T-shirt. A picture of the winner with the T-shirt and the prize will be taken.
Now...for a couple updates on the FishAThon 2012 for Team Extreme Philly Fishing!
Problems... "Why are we so persistent on this Fundraising?"
--> The Team Extreme Philly fishing emphasizes on 3 main problems occurring by the Schuylkill River. First, a portion of the people in the city fails to realize that all run-off water and trash goes to the sewage system, and ends inside the Schuylkill River. Many people are lacking etiquette as well - they will throw trash outdoors, for example. Simply, this is the pollution side of the story. Another problem, this time focused on fishermen, is that they tend to overharvest Catfish and other Species from the River (which are not really edible due to Heavy Metals and Pcbs), hurting the river's aquatic ecosystem. Remember: more fishes taken from the River = less fishes to be fished. Finally, people also tend to harvest trophy fishes, and "rare" Species (i.e. Walleye) when they catch one. It's legal to do so under the law, but it should be common sense to release them, so they can reproduce in numbers and be present in the River for future generations. Therefore, respectively, we are focusing on Littering/Pollution; Overharvesting; and Selective Harvest.
Solutions... "What can we do to change the actual situation?"
--> As "cliché" as it can be, human awareness and social shaping is the best possible solution for the problems above. If it's an old theory, why do people keep doing what's wrong? Mostly because they are ignorant of the problems that we are facing nowadays. People's positive attitudes and behaviors towards fish and nature can change this whole scenario. Therefore, Team Extreme Philly Fishing is here to focus on a traditional "mouth-to-mouth" system, where people spread the word to their loved ones, and so on, creating a web of information. Also, it's good to remember that 50% of all funds raised will go to a local institution that will use the money to help the Schuylkill River in certain ways.
About the money... "What will happen to the 50% of money that is donated locally?"
--> After a litte Team discussion, I suggested that the 50% local money should go to the Schuylkill River Development Corporation (website here), since they are the ones taking care of the main portions of the River where we fish at. For example...wouldn't it be nice if the Team partnered up with them to create a "fishing post" project next to the trail? A post with main Species of fish in the River, and a brief explanation of Pcbs and Heavy metals and fish consumption? People that pass there everyday, fishermen or not, would be informed with it! But anyways...how the money will be used is still up to discussion.
For now, these are all the updates. If you can, donate for a good cause! Your name and e-mail will be in for the drawings as well!
Thank you very much, people! You are all supporting a good cause just by reading this. So, keep it in mind that you are doing a good deed.
Now...it's time to FISH! =)
Best of luck for all of us,
Long Days and Pleasant Nights,
Sincerely,
Leo S.