River Relief

October 24, 2013

Thank you Bass Pro!

Our fleet manager John Brady with our new 115hp motor donated by Bass Pro Shops.

Just days before Healthy Rivers Partnership's Big Muddy River Clean-up in Sugar Creek on October 5, we got some game-changing news. Bass Pro Shops donated a brand new 115hp Mercury motor to us, and within the week, their Columbia Tracker Marine shop installed it on our Saskia plate boat. After a summer with one down motor, we were finally full strength again. And finally back to a 100% Mercury motor fleet.

Since Missouri River Relief started in 2001, we've worked to be an equipment-based organization. In 2002 and 2003, Bass Pro Shops stepped up as the first business to support this Missouri River navy. They donated two boats, our RR150 "Karp" and RR260 "Char", as complete boat-motor-trailer packages and ready to splash on the river.

On our big clean-up events, we depend on government agency boats to make it possible to put hundreds of volunteers on the river. But in order for us to be flexible, efficient and able to respond to unique opportunites, we need our own fleet of river worthy boats and vehicles to haul them.

In addition to our boats and motors, Bass Pro Shops has donated thousands of dollars of parts, equipment and supplies (such as lifejackets, gas tanks, cooking stuff and pop-up tents) to the Missouri River Relief fleet.

Thanks to generous sponsors like Bass Pro Shops, Tracker Marine, Mercury Motor, Mid-Missouri Solid Waste Management District, Boone Electric Community Trust, Bill Rotts and Pat Jones, we've have the unique ability to get thousands of volunteers and students out on the Missouri River where they should be.

Click here to read more about the history, sponsors and names of the Missouri River Relief fleet.

Special thanks to employees of the Columbia Bass Pro Shop and Tracker Marine who made it a priority to get this motor installed for us (and for all the work they've done for us over the years):

Joe Finnegan - Tracker Manager;
Jim Bealmear - Technician
Andy Harris - Parts
Jack Scruggs - Detailer
Kristen Fields - Business Assistant
Bo Gordon - Sales
Mark Wagner - Sales
Bud Weable - Sales