Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 16, 2014
For more information, contact:
Paul Kimzey
team@bisbeesconservationfund.org

Wayne Bisbee, tournament director of the world-famous Bisbee’s Black & Blue Marlin Tournament in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, announced today a comprehensive aid plan to help the under-privileged residents of Cabo San Lucas recover from this week’s devastating Hurricane Odile. The Category 3 storm came ashore early Monday at the tip of the Baja Peninsula and caused wide-spread damage. The full extent is still being assessed, but thousands of the less-fortunate are now homeless and in need of immediate assistance.

“We’re creating a call to action throughout the global sport-fishing family to help those who have suffered so much in this natural disaster,” Bisbee says. “We’re donating $250,000 in seed money to the Bisbee’s Cabo Relief Fund and ask our generous fellow anglers to help out by donating themselves. The money will be routed through the Rotary Club International’s Boulder City, Nevada Club to get where it’s needed the most.

“We’ve developed a two-prong approach that will really make a difference. In partnership with Club Dust (Club Dust on FaceBook) volunteers will arrive as soon as the airport reopens and start assessing the situation to provide critical shelter, from tent cities to rebuilding homes,” Bisbee adds. “This group has a lot of experience in poverty relief efforts and our donation will help kick-start this critical need. Individual angler donations will enhance those capabilities and allow us to serve even more families.”

“When Hurricane Odile hit land at Cabo San Lucas a few days ago everything changed,” Club Dust’s Founder and President Ray Meltvedt says. “The storm was the worst in decades and by far the worse since Cabo became the world-class destination for sport fishing.

“Remarkably, the response by many of us who love this place has poured in, with questions of how to best help in this time of massive need,” he adds. “The people that we’re most able to help directly are the families who run those small businesses that provide thousands of jobs in the region. So we hope you’ll join us in giving back to these people who have allowed us to share so many happy memories together over the years.”

Club Dust, a non-profit 501 (c) (3) volunteer organization, has built more than 1,000 portable and permanent homes in Mexico in the past 33 years. The group has also delivered more than two million meals and helped build schools in war-torn Somalia. Its emphasis is on food, shelter and education for those who need it the most.

In addition to providing critical shelter in Cabo San Lucas in the storm’s aftermath, the second step to recovery is helping those individually-owned sport-fishing businesses that were directly impacted get back to work.

“The second prong of our plan is to help the working sport-fishing operators get back on the water, so they can again earn money and support their families,” Bisbee adds. “A portion of the donations will be ear-marked to help independently-owned charter boats, bait pangas and eco-tourism guides repair their boats and replace lost gear. We will be granting small business loans and gifts to help those individuals recover. As soon as our team gets down to Cabo San Lucas and sets up a base of operations, we will publish more details on how and where to apply. Our goal is to help these independent sport-fishing businesses resume operations as quickly as possible.”

“This was a terrible disaster that impacted thousands of lives. But with the support of the sport-fishing community, we can help our Mexican friends re-build and return to normal. Now is our opportunity to give back, so please be as generous as you can,” Bisbee says.

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