Bill Spence of Vermont, tournament director of the Champlain Bass Series, passed along a note this week commending Bassmaster Elite Series rookie standout Jamie Hartman for helping to raise $1,800 for Purple Hearts Reunited.
Spence contacted Hartman several months ago about donating a day on the water in a tournament setting with a raffle winner. Hartman traveled six hours out of his way from New York to participate in a local derby at Champlain this past weekend, teaming with raffle winner Jeff Raymond for an 8th-place finish.
"(Raymond's) girlfriend had bought the raffle ticket for him," Spence said. "He's not really a tournament fisherman – he showed up with a hat, two rods and two bottles of water. The forecast wasn't great and I was afraid he might get a rough indoctrination to tournaments, but fortunately the weather held up."
Purple Hearts Reunited, a non-profit foundation based in Vermont, was established in 2012 to return lost or stolen medals to veterans and military families at no cost. To learn more, click here.
