Over 200 attendees were introduced to fishing and the outdoors at the 2026 Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) Ironworkers Local 397 Take Kids Fishing Day on April 25 at the Suncoast Youth Conservation Center.
All 128 kids in attendance took home a free rod and reel. In addition to fishing, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission held three educational stations about fish identification and regulations, knot tying and casting.
Twenty-five volunteers from Ironworkers Local 397 provided instruction, including financial secretary-treasurer and business agent Keven Barber. The day was especially meaningful for Barber, who fished with his 5-year-old grandson, Bryar, for the first time.
“He got there with me early to help me set up and stayed all day,” Barber said. “I think he had fun wandering around and helping other kids. We worked on how to cast, and he baited his own hook with a shrimp. After that, he told me that he didn’t need my help anymore.”
USA conservation coordinator Maggie Sager said volunteers helped create a welcoming and engaging experience for youths and their families.
“The volunteers showed the community what mentorship, community service and giving back look like,” she said. “They helped create meaningful connections with the kids while bringing the USA’s mission to life by introducing the next generation to the outdoors.”
Take Kids Fishing Day is part of a series of free, community-based youth outreach events organized under the USA’s flagship conservation program, Work Boots on the Ground. The Suncoast Youth Conservation Center’s wheelchair-accessible boardwalk and fishing pier were constructed by local union volunteers back in 2019 as part of the USA’s 200th Work Boots on the Ground project.
“It was incredibly meaningful to host this event on the same pier these volunteers built seven years ago through Work Boots on the Ground,” Sager said. “Seeing it still in great shape and continuing to serve the community shows the lasting impact these projects have in creating outdoor opportunities for years to come.”
Barber explained the value of this event for union members.
“This event is a great way to give back,” he said. “As union members, we do a lot for our communities without expecting anything back. It means a lot to get kids outdoors because the outdoors has always meant a lot to me. I just want to share that with my own family and other kids in the community.”
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