Our Mission: To Preserve, Protect, and Restore Pennsylvania's Cold Water Streams and their habitats.
Volunteers needed to get youth chapters off ground
by Mike Makufka
After the general membership meeting in Lamar in October, some new faces are appearing on state council. Some folks have moved on because their term expired. But almost everyone stated a lack of time as a limiting factor for TU involvement.
I wish them all well and I hope to stay in contact. To each and every one, I send a big thank you for your support and for showing a real novice what it means to work hard to try and achieve a common goal.
In this day and age of fast-paced lifestyles, time is a precious commodity. It is almost as precious as our future, and our organization’s future is the young men and women of today.
When I wrote the previous column on the need for junior chapters, I was surprised at the many responses. Evidently there are more than a few interested people. Responses were from every corner of the state and every age group. All of us need to find the time, myself included, to reach out to these young adults and share our experiences and knowledge about conservation, the outdoors, trout fishing and the environment.
The latest membership figures show more than 11,000 people are paid-up members of PA Trout. Surely out of those, there are some who understand the importance of reaching out to the younger set.
I know that there are a good number of active chapter members doing just that, but they can’t do everything. What I’m asking is for some of the others to step forward to help. From my own experience, I know that many people feel they have nothing to offer. I felt the same way. But it only takes a little time, even an hour or two a month is enough.
I think there are many young men and women who would be glad to be active Trout Unlimited members, but who are too intimidated to attend regular meetings. Why not have meetings for them and by them so they get the feel of belonging and the knowledge to carry the torch.
This is where the hour or two a month of your time comes into play. Someone has to be the adult adviser and the link between junior and parent chapter. Looking at it that way, almost everyone has the time.
It would be a shame to see something that could be so positive in young lives not happen because of lack of adult influences. Please contact me if you wish to be one of these positive-influencing adults by volunteering a little time.
814-506-1190
Rivers Conservation and Fly-fishing Camp
