PARK FALLS, Wis. – Last Veteran’s Day, St. Croix Rod began selling a limited quantity of special-edition Premier Series fishing rods to benefit U.S. Veterans’ advocacy groups Wounded Warriors in Action and Take a Vet Fishing. The Premier Series was chosen because it’s the best-selling American-made fishing rod. Each of these special-edition Premiers were marked with the Take a Vet Fishing and Wounded Warriors in Action logos.

“Today, thanks to the anglers who purchased these rods, St. Croix is pleased to present checks for over $19,000 to each of these not-for-profit organizations which work actively, creatively, and tirelessly to provide long-term healing to our nation’s Veterans suffering from both physical and emotional wounds,” says St. Croix Vice President of Marketing, Jesse Simpkins. “Our entire Team at St. Croix is proud to be a long-term partner with both Take a Vet Fishing and Wounded Warriors in Action, and we are grateful to our anglers for stepping up and buying some great fishing rods made even greater by their ability to positively impact the critical work of these two organizations which help so many.”

“St. Croix Rod has supported Take a Vet Fishing and our U.S. Veterans from the very onset of our organization in 2014,” says Take a Vet Fishing and Operation Healing Heroes Co-founder, Jay Garstecki. “St. Croix Rod has not just partnered with us to help support Take a Vet Fishing financially, the company has worked to actively grow our membership, reach, and awareness of our mission in a variety of ways – from their communications, to opening their doors to our Veterans for factory tours and giving each of them their own special rod, to most recently donating proceeds from the sale of their limited-edition Premier Veteran’s rods. This donation of nearly $20,000 will make a dramatic difference by helping us directly pay for actual PTSD treatments for our Veterans and their family members. I can’t tell you how much our organization appreciates the long-term, unbroken, and unwavering support of St. Croix Rod.”

Take a Vet Fishing Veterans pose for a photo after a recent tour of the St. Croix Factory in Park Falls, Wisconsin.

Wounded Warriors in Action Founder and CEO, John McDaniel, remembers meeting St. Croix Rod Co-owner, Paul Schluter, some 17 years ago at a Ruffed Grouse Society banquet in Phillips, Wisconsin – just up the road from Park Falls. “We had a nice dinner and conversation,” McDaniel recalls. “I grew up on a lake in Oshkosh, joined the Army, and traveled and fished around world. I had been a loyal St. Croix angler my entire life but I had never been to the St. Croix factory. I went the very next morning, bought three saltwater rods at the Factory Store, met again with Paul and asked him to sign each one of them. I still use that particular rod I kept for myself, and I’ve never let anyone else touch it!”

That was McDaniel’s first real connection to St. Croix. “The relationship grew from that," McDaniel says. "When I retired from the Army in ’07, I started bringing my combat-wounded friends to my property near Phillips. It became an annual event with more participants each year. Today we have over 40 events throughout the country, but Wisconsin is still our most important state. The event we host annually in Eagle River is huge, and St. Croix has been donating rods to help support that event and our organization for the past ten years or so,” he says.

McDaniel (center) poses with WWIA volunteer, Andy Hendrickson (left) and Simpkins (right) with one of the special-edition Premier rods sold to benefit TAVF and WWIA.

“I always appreciated the support from St. Croix, but I was blown away when they told us they were going to build and sell these custom Premier rods and use the money to directly support Wounded Warriors in Action,” McDaniel says. “I am truly humbled and proud. We are going to use all of this money to improve the Camp Hackett Northwoods Healing Center – our first fully functional ADA-compliant facility near Phillips so we can host even more Veterans and provide them with even better healing experiences in the great outdoors.”

About Wounded Warriors in Action
Honor. Connect. Heal. Wounded Warriors in Action Foundation (WWIA) is a national 501(c)(3) public charity that devotes all its energy and resources to supporting the men and women wounded in combat who received the Purple Heart medal. WWIA supports these phenomenal Heroes by providing them with the opportunity to participate in world-class outdoor sporting activities at no cost to them. We do this to recognize and honor their sacrifice, encourage independence and connections with communities, and promote healing and wellness through camaraderie and a shared passion for the outdoors. MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION to Wounded Warriors in Action.