02 Mar Redfish Round-Up supports Hope For The Warriors at Walker’s Marina of Naples, March 9-10
Event to highlight the connection between outdoor adventures and healing, while raising money for programs and services supporting service members, veterans and military families
NAPLES, Fla. (March 2, 2018) – Walker’s Hideaway Marina of Naples, Fla., is set to host the Redfish Round-Up, March 9-10, to support Hope For The Warriors, a national nonprofit dedicated to restoring self, family and hope for service members, veterans and military families. A two-day event, the Redfish Round-Up will feature the Captain’s Soirée—a kick-off party to begin the festivities—on Friday, March 9, followed by a fishing tournament on Saturday, March 10. Together, the events will highlight the healing that service members and veterans often find through outdoor adventures such as fishing, while also integrating the military population into their local community. Both events are open to the public.
“We are extremely grateful to Jimmy Walker and his team at Walker Marine Group for teaming up with Mike and Angie Skinner to bring the Redfish Round-Up to the Naples area,” said Robin Kelleher, CEO and co-founder of Hope For The Warriors. “This event will benefit Hope For The Warriors and our Outdoor Adventures program, which provides adaptive opportunities for wounded heroes to participate in sporting activities in the great outdoors. Through this program, service members who previously embraced an outdoors lifestyle, as well as those new to traditional outdoor sports, are introduced to recreational opportunities on the road to recovery.”
The Redfish Round-Up will be co-hosted by Jimmy and Christine Walker of Walker’s Hideaway Marina of Naples, as well as NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Champion Mike Skinner and his wife, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio host, Angie. With the Walkers stepping in to offer their venue and expertise to host a fishing tournament, they were able to join forces with the Skinners to capitalize on the Round-Up for Charity brand that dates back to 2005 when the first Skinner Round-Up took place in Volusia County. Together, the two merged concepts to organize a pre-event party and fishing tournament with a fun “five-o’clock somewhere” feel.
On Friday, March 9, the weekend kicks off with the Cowboy Key—a free event at Walker’s Hideaway Marina of Naples that is open to the public and runs from 4 to 6 p.m. Then, the real party starts as the Captain’s Soirée begins at 6 p.m. Including a night of food, games, raffles, a silent auction and live music, tickets for the Captain’s Soirée are $75. On Saturday, March 10, the Redfish Round-Up fishing tournament will take place from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m., followed by a fish fry and awards ceremony to wrap up the event. Registration for the fishing tournament costs $150 and includes tickets for all events on Friday and Saturday.
The Redfish Round-Up serves as a real-life example of how outdoor sports and outdoor adventures can provide healing to service members, veterans and military families. Hope For The Warriors created its Outdoor Adventures program in 2010 to provide adaptive opportunities for wounded heroes to participate in outdoor sporting activities. Realizing the therapeutic benefits not just for the service members, but also their families, the organization expanded the program in 2012 to include spouses and children of wounded and fallen service members. One of many programs offered by Hope For The Warriors, last year the Outdoor Adventures program hosted nearly 40 events across the United States.
“Partnering with Hope For The Warriors means the world to me, in terms of doing a good thing and raising money for an incredibly worthy cause,” said Jimmy Walker, owner of Walker’s Hideaway Marina of Naples. “It’s one of the rare organizations that actually helps veterans, and a large portion of the money that we raise will go to benefit specific veterans and their needs. I have always had the utmost respect for all of our veterans, for the freedom they provide each and every one of us to live in the most amazing and free country in the entire world. It is truly an honor for me to be in a position with Walker’s Hideaway Marina to start what we hope to be an annual event, to continue to raise money for a tremendous organization like Hope For The Warriors.”
By visiting 501auctions.com/RedfishRoundUp, participants can purchase tickets to the Captain’s Soirée, register for the fishing tournament or participate in an online auction offering a variety of outdoor sporting, entertainment, lifestyle, fashion and fun items. All proceeds from the Redfish Round-Up will benefit Hope For The Warriors.
To learn more about Hope For The Warriors, apply for services or find out how you can get involved, visit HopeForTheWarriors.org.
About Hope For The Warriors:
Founded in 2006, Hope For The Warriors is a national nonprofit dedicated to restoring a sense of self, family and hope for post 9/11 veterans, service members and military families. Since its inception, Hope For The Warriors has served more than 19,000 through a variety of support programs focused on transition services, clinical health and wellness, sports and recreation and community development and engagement. The nonprofit’s first program, A Warrior’s Wish, has granted 176 wishes to fulfill a desire for a better quality of life or support a quest for gratifying endeavors. In addition, Run For The Warriors has captured the hearts of more than 23,500 since 2010. For more information, visit hopeforthewarriors.org, Facebook or Twitter.