LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. — There are a lot of fish stories, and even more trash talk, with the Bay Area Bassmasters club.
But when one of their own was grieving the loss of his wife, this family of anglers bonded together.
“These are really good people,” said an emotional Tom Mahoney, Bassmasters president.
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Ten years ago, Gulfside Hospice, a nonprofit, cared and comforted Tom’s wife, Ina, during her final days.
“Your loved one is laying there, and you know she’s not going to recover, and you know there’s no hope,” said Tom. “All these things I didn’t know what to do, but Gulfside was on top of it.”
Tom’s Bassmasters family supported him, but they wanted to do more. So they started the Ina Mahoney Hospice Challenge. That first year they raised just under $2,000 for Gulfside.
They never stopped remembering Ina and raising money. This year, they presented Gulfside with a check for $8,714.25.
Over the past 10 years, the Bassmasters have raised more than $40,000 for terminal patients and grieving families in need.
“This is just spectactular,” said Linda Ward, Gulfside president and CEO. “We just couldn’t be more grateful to them.”
For more information on Gulfside Hospice, visit www.gulfside.org.
