Fly Making Initiative Ties Charitable Organizations Together Robert John Pales
A
spontaneous act of generosity 15 years ago has snowballed into a culture of giving. In February 2007, Tim Scott and Terry Wittorp carpooled to the Kalamazoo Valley Chapter Trout Unlimited monthly meeting in Kalamazoo, MI to assist in planning the chapter’s upcoming summer youth camp. While driving home, Wittorp worried there wouldn’t be enough flies for the event. Scott suggested they recruit members from their FFI Affiliate Club, the Saint Joseph River Valley Fly Fishers of South Bend, IN, to help KVCTU in supplying flies for the children. To motivate members, Scott pledged to tie 100 flies, and Terry, a non-tier, offered to cook lunch. A week later, 38 tyers met and produced 2,500 flies in Elkhart, IN. The Tie-a-Thon was born. Ironically, both Scott and Wittorn envisioned the project as a one-off—
56
FlyFisher Winter 2022
at best, a periodic event. The group, however, begged to differ. “That was fun. Who are we tying for next year?” one participant said when the first Tie-a-Thon wrapped up. Another shouted, “I know of a Reel and Heal retreat in Ohio!” With that, the new direction was set. The following spring, the tyers lived up to their promise and produced 3,700 flies for the Ohio retreat. That evening, Scott and Wittorp committed to organizing a yearly event, one which would benefit other charitable organizations that use fly fishing as therapy. They envisioned combat veterans, cancer survivors and at-risk youth—as well as youth fly fishing education groups—as the recipients of their efforts. But never could their vision have been so grand
as to what it’s turned into. What started as a local endeavor has now gone world-wide. A Facebook page, coupled with national media attention, has produced a group of tyers from 48 U.S. states, Canada, Scotland, Australia, and American Samoa. FFI affiliates DRiFT (IL) and Fly Girls (MI) have been consistent yearly donors, holding their own club “Tie-a-thons” and submitting thousands of flies. These international volunteers have donated 180,000 flies benefiting 18 charities over the past 15 years. Charitable organizations have included Project Healing Waters, the Mayfly Project and Casting for Recovery. The Tie-a-Thon accepts any number of flies, but individuals donating at least 100 receive a t-shirt designed by
