Ryan Butler, the 2017 Bassmaster Team Championship Classic Fish-Off winner from Blue Eye, Mo., will use his appearance in the upcoming Classic to raise money for the Catch-A-Dream Foundation. The foundation grants hunting and fishing experiences to children with life-threatening or terminal illnesses.
“As a young child, out fishing with my dad and grandpa, I dreamed about this opportunity," Butler said of his Classic qualification. "Thanks to the tremendous support and commitment of family and friends, this dream has become my reality.
“I have a passion for fishing and for helping others. My new hope is to now take this opportunity I have been blessed with and use it to make other people’s dreams come true. This is a project on which we all can ‘weigh in’ together and we can make a strong statement about our dedication to our sport, our professions, our families and to those children and families who desperately need to know that hope does, indeed, exist.”
Butler, whose title sponsor for the Classic will be high-performance firearms company Wilson Combat, has set a goal to raise $100,000 for Catch-A-Dream – an amount that will cover 20 trips.
“We are humbled and excited to be partnered with Ryan, Wilson Combat, and the entire fishing industry in this unprecedented project,” said Dr. Marty Brunson, CEO of Catch-A-Dream. “We have a long-standing relationship with the bass fishing community and obvious common ground with the shooting community, so we look forward to bringing those two groups together for a common cause."
To donate, text the keyword "BASS" to 71777 or visit www.CatchADream.org/RyanButler. Donations can also be made by calling (662) 324-5700.
