The 2nd Annual Tony Nata III Fishing Rodeo is being hosted by the Slidell firefighters of I.A.F.F. Local 2455 on June 28th 2009. The fishing rodeo was created to raise money for the Tony’s Room Foundation which is based right here in Slidell. You may find yourself asking, “what is Tony’s Room?”. The Tony’s Room Foundation is a program designed to help with the financial burden of creating a safe environment for children with Leukemia to recover in. Most patients receiving chemo therapy for treatment of cancer are left with little to no immune system. This is where a sterile environment is needed for a successful recovery. Providing a sterile environment can be very costly. The Tony’s Room Foundation with the help of events such as the Tony Nata III Fishing Rodeo help provide children a sterile environment to come home to after being in the hospital.
You may now be wondering, “who was Tony Nata?”. Anthony “Tony” Nata III was a courageous young boy whom loved to fish. Growing up here in Slidell along the highway 11 corridor of Lake Pontchartrain, Tony learned the ways of fishing at a young age. Tony was diagnosed with Leukemia at a very young age. After losing his house to Hurricane Katrina, volunteers from The New York Says Thank You Foundation rebuilt the home as a “paying it forward” gift. After rebuilding the house, the crew learned of Tony’s illness and once again returned to build him a sterile room, along with a fishing pier. At only age 8, Young Tony lost his battle with cancer, passing away on June 19th 2007.
One year later, the Slidell firefighter Association along with the help of The New York Says Thank You Foundation teamed up with The Nata Family to create the Tony Nata III Fishing Rodeo. In June of 2008 with the help of numerous sponsors, the first fishing rodeo was held at The Dock in Slidell, raising over $10,000 for the foundation. The money raised allowed the Tony’s Room Foundation to provide 3 sterile units, two here in Louisiana and 1 in Dallas Texas.
Attached are the Personal and Corporate Registration Forms!