FLW Raises $88K for Charity

The 2015 FLW Will Fish for Kids - Bill Kerr Charity Tournament was another big success. Photo by Kyle Wood.

April 30, 2015 • Kyle Wood • Archives

Every year the Walmart FLW Tour makes a trek to northwest Arkansas to visit Beaver Lake. The action doesn’t stop after the tournament is done, however. The FLW Will Fish for Kids – Bill Kerr Memorial Charity Tournament, which was presented by Quaker State, took place this past Monday following the conclusion of the Beaver Lake Tour stop. Since 2005 this event has raised more than $736,000 for the Dental Clinic at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital.

For 2015, the tournament was renamed in honor of Bill Kerr, who passed away in 2014. He was a longtime supporter of not only this event, but also the Children’s Hospital. Kerr worked for Walmart early in his career before moving on to work with Outdoor Cap, who came forward following Kerr’s death and requested to rename this event in his honor.

The fundraiser began Sunday night with a silent auction, a raffle, a live auction (conducted by Quaker State pro Jimmy Houston) and dinner. Sunday night’s festivities generated about $30,000.

On Monday morning, 73 teams, including 44 Tour pros, took off from Prairie Creek Marina in the tournament. Teams were primarily comprised of pros matched with sponsor staff and Walmart associates, but several local teams were present as well.

FLW Tour Weighmaster Daniel Fennel hosted the weigh-in at 2 p.m. on the FLW stage, giving it the feel of an actual Tour event. Local standouts Tim Hart and Nick Frake of Stout Stuff, who won the 2013 tournament, earned the title again this year with a 16-pound, 1-ounce limit. Jim Enneking and Walmart pro Mark Rose represented Strike King Lure Company and placed second for the third year in row with a 15-pound limit. Walmart associate Paul McNabb and pro Bryan Thrift placed third with 14-9.

Entry fees paid by pro contestants and Walmart employees, as well as corporate boat sponsorships, were collected prior to the event. Combined with the auction funds, the tournament raised a record-setting total of $88,710.

FLW Tour pro Shirley Crain will be the honorary chair for next year’s tournament. To find out more about the Will Fish for Kids – Bill Kerr Memorial Charity Tournament, click here.