Adverse Witness
CHARITY SPOTLIGHT
Rebecca Vaccariello AW
The Gene Doyle Memorial Foundation.
Spring 1997. Always living life to the fullest, Gene’s free spirit loved the pure joys of wild adventures on land and
sea with family and friends. How the Charity Began
Friends of Gene Doyle were adamant after Gene’s passing that a charity fishing tournament should be held in his memory and provided the initial donation of funds. The Gene Doyle Memorial Foundation was established, with goals to both remember Gene through his love of fishing and outdoor adventure, and to provide funding for adventure trips to local high school students, who usually have more time than money available for such pursuits. A loyal group of friends and family continue to serve on the Foundation board of directors and run the annual Fishing Tournament, keeping Gene’s spirit alive by sharing and supporting his love of life and nature. About the Foundation’s Adventure Scholarships The first Adventure Scholarship was awarded in 1997, with over 60 having been awarded to date. The Foundation awards three Adventure Scholarships each year, which allow local students to experience life-changing adventure programs, such as trips offered by the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS), Outward Bound or Alaska Mountaineering School. There is an online application for high school students to apply for a scholarship, and the Foundation selects three scholarship recipients each January from the many applications received. Unlike traditional scholarships, the adventure scholarships are designed to be as untraditional and unique as Gene. Scholarship winners have gone on trips such as dog sledding in Minnesota, mountaineering and backpacking in the mountains of Alaska, sailing trips including off the coast of Maine and a voyage from Boston to Bermuda, and rock climbing and skydiving in Northern Florida. A past scholarship recipient speaks at the awards dinner at the end of the annual fishing tournament weekend and the stories of how the adventure trips have transformed young lives are compelling, sometimes resulting in newfound career paths and always valuable for the time spent enjoying nature and new corners of the world. While the adventure trips are hopefully fun and enjoyable, they are also much more than that, providing unparalleled learning and growth opportunities for our local youth, with the stories upon their return establishing the far-reaching impacts.
The Gene Doyle Memorial Foundation is a local Naples charity that awards annual Adventure Scholarships to Collier County high school students, while honoring the
memory and adventurous spirit of Robert Eugene “Gene” Doyle III (1976 – 1996). The Memorial Foundation’s annual fundraiser, Gene Doyle Backcountry Catch and Release Fishing Tournament, is in its 23rd year. I first became aware of the Gene Doyle Fishing Tournament about five years ago and I immediately wanted to get involved as a volunteer, despite knowing nothing about fishing. Just learning that Robin Doyle, an attorney who I respected greatly as so many of us do, had suffered a tragedy, losing his son Gene in a car crash in 1996, made me want to help. I began by volunteering at the fishing tournament’s kick-off party and awards banquet, helping with registrations and logistics as needed, and more recently I agreed to co-chair the tournament with Mary Payne, a long-time core volunteer and a true moving force behind the tournament for many years. I have since observed firsthand the significance of this local charity to our community: the Foundation not only provides funding for transformative adventure trips for local high schoolers, but it provides an extraordinary example of how fiercely loyal and motivated family and friends can accomplish so much good while honoring the spirit of their loved one. About Gene Doyle Gene enjoyed all forms of outdoor adventures and was an avid fisherman, an honor student and three-sport star athlete at Naples High School, Class of 1995. Hewas Student Council President his senior year, successfully balancing academic and athletic pursuits, and all with a healthy dose of humor and his boundless energy. Gene earned a scholarship to the University of South Carolina, where he began pursuing a marine science degree in the Fall of 1995. Gene also earned a place in the Honors College, created a wrestling club, and was planning a semester in Belize for
September 2020 Vol. 192
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