Membership has its Privileges

Good evening subscribers! My wife and I have been looking through our memberships and recognized that we need to make a few changes to how we provide membership documents. We will be looking at options for the website to provide a membership application to make things easier and more automated. Many of our subscribers are not members of Casting for a Cause. It is our desire that if you are a veteran or active-duty military, that you will reach out to us and learn more about what we provide. Remember, any prior service member with a Veterans Administration (VA) rating of 100%, or a lower rating but paid at 100% receives a lifetime membership at no charge (Gold Membership). Gold star family members can also join with the first year of membership being waived. Retired veterans age 65 and older and Congressional Medal of Honor recipients are also eligible to join at no cost. All other active duty and veteran service members can join for only $75 per year. Although we would like to be able to provide free membership to all prior service members, it would make it difficult to market and maintain our organization if we did so. Non prior service (civilians) may join the organization as an associate member (non-voting) for $150.

So what does your membership provide? We are glad you asked. We have made some changes since we first started the organization in February of 2020.

• All prior service members receiving an honorable or honorable conditions discharge are eligible to attend the quarterly and annual meetings. You have an active vote in any decisions that are made regarding the organization. Unfortunately we are unable to provide this benefit to associate members. Prior service members that have received a Bad Conduct or Dishonorable discharge are ineligible to attend meetings or cast your vote.

• All paying members receive a promotional kit with their membership containing a C4aC decal and a C4aC coffee mug or hat. Other items may be substituted based on availability.

• All Members are eligible to fish with us on a space available basis at absolutely no cost to you. Fishing excursions launch out of the Savannah, Hilton Head and Richmond Hill areas. Fishing excursions are currently only available on the weekends and are a first come, first serve opportunity. Civilian members may be combined with veteran members at any time as long as both parties are agreeable. Fishing excursions should be planned ahead and booked online. These are not charter trips. We never charge our members to fish. We do not book private paid charters.

• Casting for a Cause sponsors veteran members to fish in various tournaments local to their area as funds are available. This is provided by our Victories for Veterans program which sets aside donations that were provided specifically for this program. If a member would like to fish a specific tournament, a request must be provided to admin@castingforacause.net and cannot exceed $250. Tournaments that exceed this amount will still be considered, but only $250 of the entry can be provided. If funds are not available, C4aC will work with you to raise donations for the Victories for Veterans program. Any amount raised over the $250 limit will be added to the program for future use. If a participant raises donations in excess of $250, those funds can be reserved for a future tournament for a period not to exceed 12 months.

• Any C4aC member is eligible to fish at a professional level as part of our effort to market the organization. However, funds for this level of competition must be provided specifically for this purpose by a sponsor or paid by a private or personal donation provided by one or both competitors. Any winnings whether cash or in the form of an asset from a professional level tournament will go back into the organization to assist with future growth and business opportunities. Tournaments attended away from home will require additional expenses to be paid by the participants for meals, fuel and lodging.

As we move further into 2022, we will be hosting a number of promotional and fundraising opportunities. As of this writing, we are looking to host a fundraising effort that will provide a Florida Fishing Products Osprey reel with a Bull Bay rod to the member that raises the most money for the organization by August 1, 2022. This can be accomplished by promoting the organization through social media and creating a donation button linked to Casting for a Cause Disabled Veterans Foundation. C4aC is a 501c3 nonprofit and is recognized as a charity organization. Our operations are possible because of your efforts and donations. We look forward to serving each of you and trust you will accept our invitation to become a part of our exclusive organization. Thank you.