March 15, 2024- Ike’s Hook‘em Early Kids Fishing Event is coming to the Bassmaster Classic! Ike’s Hook’em Early Fishing Events have long been the primary kids fishing event where members of The Ike Foundation team and volunteers teach kids the joy of fishing at a local lake or pond. Ike’s Hook’em Early Kids Fishing Event brought to you by Lowrance will be held at Veterans Park Pond in Jenks, OK, a lake previously stocked by The Ike Foundation® in 2022 as part of their conservation efforts. This first ever Bassmaster Classic event will be held on Sunday, March 24th from 8-9:30 am. Children ages 3-15 with a parent/guardian are invited to bring their fishing gear for a fun morning of fishing. The FIRST 200 registered kids in attendance will receive a FREE Flambeau ‘Ike’ Tackle Box.
Learn More in Mike's Interview with KOTV News on 6's Tess Maune
See KOTV News on 6 story about 2022 Mike Iaconelli/ Ike Foundation® Veterans Pond Park, Jenks, OK stocking story
In addition, The Ike Foundation® invites kids of all ages to their booth (#284) inside the Cox Business Convention Center where they can paint a Berkley Bait. There will be additional Flambeau Tackle Box Giveaways throughout the weekend. Times and locations are below:
- Friday, March 22nd 2-3pm The Ike Foundation® Booth #284
- Saturday, March 23rd 2-3pm The BassCat Booth #1009
- Sunday, March 24th 12-1pm The Ike Foundation® Booth #284
The Ike Foundation® Accepting Applications for 2024 College Scholarship Program
The Ike Foundation® College Scholarship application portal is open! To date, The Ike Foundation® has awarded almost $100,000 in college scholarships to qualifying high school seniors from across the country. These students have shown interest in the sport of fishing or outdoor conservation activities and met a strict set of requirements listed below. They have gone on to pursue degrees ranging from Biology, Environmental Science and Computer Engineering to Photography and Business Management. Details and application link for The Ike Foundation® College Scholarship Program are below:
To be considered for a scholarship award, students must meet the following criteria:
- Enrolled as a high school senior
- A U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen
- Plan to enroll in a two or four-year college or university as a full time, degree-seeking student
- Demonstrate volunteer commitment of time to support the community, preferably fishing/conservation-related
- Have a minimum GPA of 3.2 (current transcript required)
- Submit at least one letter of recommendation from a current teacher, coach or administrator
- Show written acceptance from your selected college or university
- Submit five paragraph essay based on our topic listed below
- Complete and submit all application materials postmarked or submitted online before April 1, 2024
2024 Essay Topic:
How has your fishing or your involvement in outdoor activities helped you become more aware of environmental issues? Please share specific examples where these activities made you think about the environment and explain how these examples influenced your views on conservation and sustainability.
The deadline to submit all applications and other necessary paperwork is April 1, 2024.
Scholarship winners will be announced by May 15th, 2024.
Please follow The Ike Foundation on Facebook @theikefoundation, Instagram & Twitter @foundationikeThe Ike Foundation® appreciates the generous donations from individuals and sponsors, including Abu Garcia, Bass Cat Boats, Yamaha, Flambeau, AFTCO, Pro-Guide, Tackle Warehouse, and many more. A full list of sponsors can be found at https://theikefoundation.org/sponsors/.Founded in 2014 by professional bass angler Michael Iaconelli and his wife, Becky. The Mission of The Ike Foundation® is to get more kids fishing and in the outdoors, especially youth in areas where those activities are not readily available. We support youth fishing clubs, civic groups and charitable organizations that promote the sport of fishing, the ecology of the outdoors and the responsibility each person has to maintain our planet’s natural resources. The Ike Foundation® is approved by the IRS as a 501©(3) tax-exempt organization, and all donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. The Ike Foundation® is a non-profit organization and all proceeds from events go to The Ike Foundation’s mission. Tax-deductible contributions are welcome and can be made on the website via credit card.