Jackson Optimist Club Donates $1,000 to Mississippi Fishing Rodeo Program

The Jackson Optimist Club held true to its motto “Friend of Youth” by donating $1,000 to the Foundation for Mississippi Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks. The donation will be used by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) Fishing Rodeo Program which introduces approximately 7,000 youth to fishing each year.

“Over the last several years the Optimist Club has donated $5,000 in support of the MDWFP Fishing Rodeo Program,” said Sherry Hazlewood, MDWFP Fishing Rodeo Program Coordinator. “We have used the donations to buy bait, fishing tackle, and other supplies.”

In addition to their donations, the Optimist Club has also sponsored a fishing rodeo for students of the Mississippi School for the Deaf. “For the past six years the Optimist Club has held a rodeo at MDWFP Turcotte Education and Shooting Facility,” said Hazlewood. “This rodeo has become an annual trip that students look forward to each spring.”

For more information regarding fishing in Mississippi, visit our website at www.mdwfp.com or call us at 601-432-2212.

Mississippi Wildlife Fisheries and Parks

The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks (MDWFP), formerly known as the Mississippi Game & Fish Commission, is an agency of the government of the U.S. state ofMississippi responsible for programs protecting Mississippi fish and wildlife resources and their habitats, as well as administering all state parks; it has its headquarters in Jackson. The agency issues hunting and fishing licenses, advises on habitat protection, and sponsors public education programs. It is also responsible for enforcement of Mississippi's fish and game laws. It is separate from the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, which is the governing body for the state's natural salt-water resources and law enforcement thereof (i.e. Gulf of Mexico, ocean-going vessels, etc.).