Trout Unlimited honors Veterans Day with a Complimentary Membership Offer
Nov. 10, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Mark Taylor, Trout Unlimited Eastern Communications Director, mark.taylor@tu.org
Beverly Smith, Trout Unlimited VP for Volunteer Operations, beverly.smith@tu.org
ARLINGTON, Va. — On Veterans Day our nation will pause to honor all those who have served our country, past and present, in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Trout Unlimited is showing our appreciation by inviting veterans to take advantage of a complimentary one-year trial TU membership in honor of their service. The offer is valid only for new Trout Unlimited members.
Trout Unlimited is committed to thanking our veterans every day. More than 200 Trout Unlimited chapters actively participate in TU’s Service Partnership Program, hosting nearly 1,000 events for veterans and first responders annually.
“That’s thousands of veterans and first responders who were taken in by their local volunteer community, introduced to the therapeutic benefits of fly fishing, and invited to participate in ongoing activities and even volunteer leadership,” said Beverly Smith, Trout Unlimited’s vice president for volunteer operations. “This has been a critical reprieve for so many of our nation’s heroes after some challenging years of COVID-related isolation.”
Trout Unlimited often partners with other organizations to host events. In New York, Trout Unlimited and Friends of the Upper Delaware River recently co-hosted a multi-day event on the Delaware. And, earlier this autumn, Trout Unlimited partnered with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) and the National Parks Trust to provide dozens of fishing retreats for surviving military families in National Parks. Dozens of volunteers showed up to places like the Upper Chattahoochee Recreation Area, the National Mall in Washington DC, Olympic National Park and Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
One Gold Star mother, who took part in the TAPS Togethers fly-fishing event in the Upper Chattahoochee Recreation Area of Georgia, shared: “This was my son’s favorite pastime and he always talked about taking us fly-fishing with him. I had so much fun here today with my daughter and granddaughter, his sister and niece. It really felt like he was here with us, right here close to home.”
Trout Unlimited extends to members of the media a standing invitation to Service Partnership events. Photos of events are also available. Please reach out to TU Eastern Communications Director Mark Taylor — himself a proud veteran of the U.S. Navy — at mark.taylor@tu.org for more information or to find an event in your coverage area.
-XXXXX-
Trout Unlimited is the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization dedicated to caring for and recovering America’s rivers and streams so our children can experience the joy of wild and native trout and salmon. Across the country, TU brings to bear local, regional and national grassroots organizing, durable partnerships, science-backed policy muscle, and legal firepower on behalf of trout and salmon fisheries, healthy waters and vibrant communities.