RBFF Announces George H.W. Bush Vamos A Pescar™ Education Fund

The Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) today announced the formation of the George H.W. Bush Vamos A Pescar™ Education Fund. The fund will work to increase awareness and participation in fishing and boating through grassroots programs, classes and on-the-water activities held in high-density Hispanic communities.

“We are honored to be able to launch this historic fund,” said Frank Peterson, RBFF’s President and CEO. “Educating and engaging the Hispanic audience in boating and fishing is critical to the future of the sport, and this fund will have a great impact on that need.”

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Hispanic participation in fishing remained stagnant from 2006 to 2011, while overall participation rose 11 percent. Currently 53 million strong, the Hispanic population is growing rapidly and is projected to reach 65 million in the U.S. by 2020, quickly becoming an important population to engage.

The George H.W. Bush Vamos A Pescar™ Education Fund was initiated with a $125,000 donation from Bass Pro Shops Founder and CEO Johnny Morris to bring conservation education and fishing and boating experiences to Hispanic families in key metro areas of Texas and Florida. With the help of similar donations from other individuals, companies and associations, the fund will help educate and engage Hispanic and multicultural audiences throughout the United States in boating and fishing with the support of RBFF’s Vamos A Pescar Hispanic initiative.

RBFF launched Vamos A Pescar as a pilot program in Texas and Florida in April 2014 to increase participation in recreational fishing and boating among Hispanics. The campaign’s Spanish-language website, VamosAPescar.org (which translates to ‘Let’s Go Fishing’), digital advertising, search engine marketing (SEM), as well as radio marketing support, targets family-oriented outdoor lovers who are seeking new outdoor activities. In its first 10 months, VamosAPescar.org received more than 300,000 website visits and numerous awards. Beginning in April 2015, the Vamos A Pescar media campaign will be expanded to include California, Illinois and New York, allowing RBFF to reach 68% of the Hispanic audience in the United States.

More information about the George H.W. Bush Vamos A Pescar™ Education Fund will be available in the next few months. If you’d like information about how to contribute to the fund, please contact RBFF Strategic Partnerships Manager Rachel Auslander at rauslander@rbff.org. More information about Vamos A Pescar™ and all of RBFF’s programs and products is available at TakeMeFishing.org/corporate.

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