Today we’d like to introduce you to Gary Casey.
Hi Gary, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers.
The Big Catch Community Kids Fishing and Health Fair is Arkansas’ largest Family Fishing event. We provide family recreation, food, fishing, and Health Screenings for families in the community at no cost.
This event was inspired by catching a tagged fish from one of our local family fishing ponds here in Little Rock. This inspired me to find information about how I could do this on a larger scale for my community. I reached out to the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and inquired about having a pond stocked for families in the community to fish… this was the start of something big. I had no idea it would grow to be the largest in the state. The Big Catch is held at Lake Valencia in Maumelle.
We began this event 10 years ago in 2013. I wanted to create an event that would allow the entire family to spend time together while fishing and having on-site recreational activities that families could enjoy while having a free meal and Health and Wellness screenings, all at no cost. Some of the recreations include Chess and a Kids zone for exercise. We are a 501(c)(3) organization called Community First Alliance and we host this event in the Spring and Fall each year.
This event started with around 200 participants and has grown to over 3,000 participants in the 10 years we have hosted this event, we see this event continuing its rapid growth in the years to come. Our next event is April 20, 2024, and you can register at www.c1a.life and join us at The Next Big Catch Community Kids Fishing and Health Fair.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The road was very difficult at first, I was working at the Boys and Girls Club in Little Rock and tried to start this program for families but the organization would not support my idea.
I then planned an event on a Saturday, which our organization was closed on weekends, and the parents and children supported the event the founder of the Boys and Girls of our North Little Rock chapter who was retired attended that event with his son and grandson told me that he didn’t understand why I had no support for this event, this is why the boys and girls clubs existed, was because we were built to serve children….words from the Founder Jim Brown inspired me to continue. Needless to say, I was fired from that organization shortly after that on performance excuses given by my boss at the time, whose boss was there when I was let go.
Nevertheless with a wife due to have a baby the next month in March, I sponsored my event by creating a non-profit organization Community First Alliance and I never looked back, always moving forward, some of the challenges were finding sponsors to help offset the cost of advertising, food, and the Kids Zone for the children.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission was a huge asset by providing the pond with stocking Catfish for the families to catch and take home, and providing meals for the families after they have come out to this event. I have never been one to stop at a few no’s from people who couldn’t see vision. We could always use support due to the number of people we feed in the community. People travel from other states to fish with us in Arkansas, and that always puts a smile on my face and lets me know that the hard work continues to pay off. We operate solely on donations and contributions from the local business community and private organizations.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Currently, I am self-employed and operate my non-profit organization Community First Alliance day-to-day operations. We are a charitable organization that hosts The Big Catch Community Kids Fishing and Health Fair and own and operate a small bakery business Casey’s Cobblers which bakes and sells desserts to help pay for the event each year. Before creating the non-profit organization I worked for a couple of radio stations over 10 years and then worked with at-risk youth and families for the next 8 to 10 years before starting my non-profit organization.
I am known for being able to connect with the communities that I serve, since being from some of the same similar environments and neighborhoods, I could relate to the families. Therefore, it helped me connect to their needs and allowed me to understand their needs and problems. I am most proud of creating an event that serves all ethnic groups and brings the community together where race is not a factor and everyone is like one big family I love the fact that there are no strangers on the fishing banks of The Big Catch! I am set apart because it takes a special kind of person to be able to connect with people from different cultures and backgrounds.
Understanding the need to know that families need to spend quality time together is what sets me apart. I realized that some of the problems that occurred with the children, I served came from lack of attention, and something so small as a hug and just listening to what they had to say, made all the difference. The event that I sponsored was looked upon as a waste of time by some of my other community leaders, now that it is working and bringing out thousands of participants, it has changed the landscape of Community service and the fact that I love seeing families spend time together is what sets me apart.
What do you like best about our city? What do you like least?
What I like best about the city is that this event has been accepted by our community and they look forward to this event each year, and the City comes out and enjoys the safe environment with their families. I truly respect their support of me.
What I dislike is the division amongst some of the community leaders that I reached out to in support of helping our community and families with resources that our families could benefit from. Some of our families are underserved and need these opportunities to receive assistance and items or supplies that may be needed in their households.
Pricing:
- Website Sponsor $500
- Participation in local businesses $150-$500
- Lil Angler Sponsor $100
- T-Shirt Sponsor $300
- Billboard Sponsors $850
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.c1a.life
- Instagram: @TheBigCatchArk
- Facebook: Thebigcatchfishingderby
- YouTube: The Big Catch Fishing Event
Image Credits
Devin Dendy, Gary Casey, and Tremmel White Sr.
