Tomorrow Fund’s second year raises more than $30K for youth programs 

By Franklin Tate 

It’s so true that, as anglers and conservationists, we at TU have a lot to pass on in terms of our passion for the great outdoors. But it’s never as easy as it sounds: it takes a ton of patience to get in front of a group of kids and try to convey the mystery behind the cast; it takes a boatload of commitment to tinker with a TIC chiller while simultaneously teaching the trout lifecycle to a class of 4th graders. 

To help local chapters accomplish this crucial work, the Headwaters Youth Program has been built around the premise that TU has something to offer any and all young people. Known as the Stream of Engagement, this model moves kids from entry level programs like TIC and kids fishing days into week-long fly fishing trout camps. The most passionate teens can then attend the national teen leadership Summit before heading off to start a TU Costa 5 Rivers club in college. Headwaters staff support the program through grants and donors in both the private and corporate sectors. We have an amazing Headwaters Board, plus a modest endowment, yet despite all of these efforts, it is always an uphill battle for us to get the program fully funded. Enter the GRTU Tomorrow Fund! 

In 2017, members of our largest chapter, Guadalupe River Trout Unlimited (GRTU) in Texas demonstrated an enormous amount of passion and commitment by establishing the Tomorrow Fund. The sole purpose of this annual $10K Fund is to raise money for Headwaters and provide program stability and a platform on which individuals, TU chapters, and other donors can make similar donations. In 2017 we set our goal at the $40K mark and reached it due to the overwhelming support of GRTU and other chapters. The news from 2018 is just as wonderful: donations from chapters and private donors put us over our fundraising goal of $30,000! Now we begin a new cycle of fundraising for 2019 with our annual goal being, once again, $30K. 

I hope your chapter will decide to step up and help us promote GRTU’s generosity as not only an example but as an opportunity. Can we count on you to donate this year? Whether it is $50 or $1000, everything counts!  

To find out more about the Headwaters Youth Program and the GRTU Tomorrow Fund, contact me: ftate@tu.org. To donate, please visit www.tu.org/tomorrowfund  

Thanks for considering a gift to Headwaters and the future of TU! 

A huge thank you to the chapters who donated in 2018: 

• Georgia Foothills GA 
• Farmington Valley CT 
• Pioneer Valley MA 
• Harry and Laura Nohr WI 
• Mid-Missouri MO 
• Finger Lakes NY 
• Miller Van Winkle MD 
• Little Elkhart IN 
• Donegal PA