By Mary Katherine Stump
South Florida is known for, among other things, its fishing and its glamorous black-tie benefits. Rarely do the two pastimes intersect.
Enter Microgiving.com, the brainchild of Advertising.com founder John Ferber, a resident of the county pocket.
For the first benefit, being held June 20, he will host a fishing tournament in honor of Jon Alsop and Jason Strauss, two colleagues and friends who passed away in January. Jason died from complications of lupus and Jon from a heart attack.
“I’d known Jon for over 25 years and Jason for over a decade,” said Ferber. Jon had recently moved to Boynton Beach to run the company’s sales office and Jason was heading up their New York office.
“When they passed away within a week of one another, it was incredibly challenging and difficult for us at Microgiving.”
Ferber, Alsop and Strauss, along with a handful of friends, had a tradition of hanging out at Ferber’s on Fridays to fish and relax — the reason why a fishing tournament was chosen for the benefit, expected to become an annual event.
“Jon and Jason’s character, and frankly the culture at Microgiving, encourage the involvement of everyone,” said Ferber. “You don’t have to pay a huge price tag to come to our benefit.”
The same goes for Microgiving.com, where people receive donations for myriad needs— from a single mom trying to make ends meet to a family trying to recover from hurricane devastation.
Founded in January 2008, Microgiving.com was inspired by Ferber’s wish to give back specifically to individuals in need.
“I had a sister-in-law who passed away from cystic fibrosis,” says Ferber. “It came time for me to give my yearly donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to give directly to someone and not have to deal with the bureaucracy of these larger non-profits?’ ”
Ferber decided to anchor the company in South Florida after falling in love with the area during his time at Florida Atlantic University in the early ’90s. Says Ferber, “The first thing I did after selling Advertising.com in 1997 was buy a place down here.”
“Jason said once that donating on Microgiving.com was a way to atone for his sins after getting a speeding ticket, or something similarly small,” laughed Ferber.
“But Jason was the first person to donate when we were raising money for our holiday fundraiser, and he did so from his hospital bed. And Jon was the first person to donate to Jason after his passing.”
If you go:What: Microgiving’s First Fishing Tournament and Beach Party
When: Saturday, June 20
Offshore KDW Sportfishing Tournament: 7 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Weigh-in location: Two Georges, Boynton Beach.
Inshore Surf and Reef Competition: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.; Location: 4555 Coquina Road, in the county pocket north of Gulfstream Park.
Beach Party: 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.. Live music, barbecue, Red Stripe beer and a cash bar, a raffle, volleyball and other beach and water sports, a paddle boarding competition, and a fishing clinic for all ages. Location: 4555 Coquina Road, in the county pocket.
To learn more:http://www.microgiving.com/content/116/events/view/fishingtournament or contact Michelle Fraedrick at microgiving.com, michelle@microgiving.com.
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