Ocean City — At its weekly meeting on June 4, the Ocean City Exchange Club put the finishing touches on its upcoming, annual fishing tournament. The club is sponsoring its 26th annual Back Bay and Ocean Fishing Tournament Saturday, June 23.

The fishing waters include the bay and ocean in the vicinity of Ocean City.

All profits go to the Prevention of Child Abuse and other charities. Everyone is welcome. Call Don Paul at (609) 437-3388 to enter.

The Fishing Tournament is a fun-packed day for the whole family. The boat registration fee is $175 to compete for big cash prizes and merchandise (over $3,400 in prizes). The many prizes are awarded according to fish weight in the categories of flounder and bluefish.

The top prize is $1,000 in each fish category. Fishing hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

After a fun-filled and action-packed day on the water, the catches are weighed in at one of four locations: 24-7 Bait & Tackle in Egg Harbor Township, All Seasons Marina in Marmora, Captain Andy’s Marina in Margate, and Dolfin Dock in Somers Point.

At 4 p.m., all of the participants are invited back to All Seasons Marina for a good old-fashioned picnic prepared by the Exchange Club volunteers. The event is topped off with the presentation of prizes and trophies to the top anglers.

Through its efforts in this long running tournament, the Exchange Club of Ocean City has been able to raise tens of thousands of dollars which go directly to the prevention of child abuse and other worthy charitable causes.

In addition to the entry fees paid by the anglers, over 30 businesses in the area buy ads in a flyer that is sent to over 200 active participants. Other businesses contribute merchandise for a raffle.

Exchange Club

The original Exchange Club was created in 1911 in Detroit, Mich. In 1913, the second club was founded in Toledo, Ohio, where the national offices are located today. The Ocean City branch was started in 1947. The National Exchange Club Mission Statement is: “Exchange, America’s Premier Service Club working to make our communities better places to live.”

The Exchange Club is a national organization and as a national organization, a huge emphasis of the club is Americanism, for which the club has a special program. Other programs include services to youth and other community service. The National Club especially focuses on the prevention of child abuse.

With about 70 members, the Ocean City Exchange Club is the largest Exchange Club in the New Jersey/New York district. The OC Exchange Club is host to many local events held to benefit the community and contributes greatly to local functions with both organization and finance.

The Ocean City Exchange Club gives out $7,200 in general scholarships annually. It is also involved in producing the Miss Ocean City Pageant and gives $12,000 as scholarships to the contestants. The club is actively involved with the Ocean City block parties and the Halloween parade during which it hands out 1,500 American flags to children as part of its “Give a Kid a Flag to Wave” program. It also holds fishing and golfing tournaments for various benevolent causes. The club has presented the Book of Golden Deeds Citizen of the Year Award since 1966 and has installed numerous Freedom Shrines and Galleries in various public buildings and high schools, including Ocean City High School and the Ocean City Library and Community Center.

Upcoming events sponsored by the Exchange Club of Ocean City are the Cole Brothers Circus, Miss Ocean City Pageant, Music Pier craft fairs, and a booth at the Fall Block Party.

For information about the Ocean City Exchange Club, visit one of its many events or contact Jon Batastini, president (609) 827-4786.