A group photo from TroutCamp.
Arizona TroutCamp Inc., a local 501(c)4 charity, will once again take to beautiful Cyclone Lake for its annual charity trout fishing trip, with proceeds benefiting New Pathways for Youth.
One hundred anglers (from veterans to novices) will be participating in the three-day event. Their financial contributions, along with those of local and national sponsors, will support some of the most vulnerable youth in our community.
The concept of TroutCamp was formed in 2007 with four friends sitting around a table talking about a way to honor someone they lost and having a chance to get away from the city bustle and desert heat, according to a press release.
During its inaugural event in 2008, 35 campers made the voyage and since then TroutCamp has grown in both funds raised and attendance, selling out each year, according to the release. TroutCamp participants enjoy the cooler climate and beautiful scenery at our camp in the White Mountains.
“2014 was TroutCamp’s seventh year in partnership with New Pathways for Youth, a charity whose work includes outreach to vulnerable children, and mentoring for at-risk youth,” stated Paul Seivert, TroutCamp Founder, in the release. “Arizona has the nation’s worst teen dropout rate, and 1 in 17 high school students are involved in a gang. The average age of a homeless person in Maricopa County is 6. With seven native-born Phoenicians among TroutCamp’s nine organizers, we’re proud to be part of the solution to some of our community’s most pressing problems. The issues may be serious, but raising money and awareness, getting people involved, and fostering a sense of community means having a bit of fun- and that’s what TroutCamp is about.”