Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Johnston
Hi Ryan, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I was born and raised in San Diego County. My home in Bonita is where my passion for fishing and the outdoors began. I was blessed to be raised by a father who wanted to take his son out in the world for adventures. My father was a fisherman and overtime he passed his passions to me. Ever since I was a kid, I loved being on the water exploring. In 2001 I would leave San Diego for college and attend UC Davis. My junior year of college, rather than getting a random college job, I would start working in a fly fishing store and ultimately become a fly fishing guide. After six years of taking clients out on the water, I decided that I needed to give back to my community. So, I decided to start a fly fishing nonprofit organization that gives back to kids.
The whole vision of Cast Hope is to use fishing as a vehicle to get underserved kids into the outdoors with their mentors. Our goal and hope are to create a healthy place for them to grow in their relationships with their mentors, experience the outdoors in a new and wonderful way, and learn how to use their local resources. Cast Hope has grown a lot since our humble beginnings and this last year we served over 800 kids throughout Northern and Southern California.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Anytime you start a nonprofit organization, it generally isn’t smooth. There are lots of hurdles that you have to overcome. Being a nonprofit, you are not selling a product or service that people want or need. Rather, you are selling a cause that you think people should get behind and support. Fundraising has been the largest struggle since we have started. We need more people in San Diego County to support our mission of getting more kids into the outdoors and away from their screens. Our lives are constantly bombarded with screens, whether from our phones, computers, tv, video games, and the list goes on. We are trying to break that pattern for these kids and show them that the outdoors has much to teach them.
We have been blessed with a growing budget since 2009, but fundraising remains a real struggle on an annual basis. Cast Hope needs more people championing our mission and giving of their money. Even if someone goes online and donates $10-20/month then that will make a difference in a kids life.
If we want to continue to grow and change lives in the kids of San Diego County, then we need more people like yourself giving to the cause.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m the founder and executive director of Cast Hope. I started the organization in 2009, and I continue to be the person that oversees the daily business interactions of the company. One thing about being the founder of an organization is that you are the one that has to do everything within the organization. As Cast Hope has grown, I have turned into a manager as we now have 7 employees supporting the organization. I’m no longer the person with boots on the ground trying to run every aspect of the company. I have been blessed to surround myself with intelligent people that have breathed a lot of life into this company. Your company is only as good as your team, and I feel honored to have awesome people surrounding me to try and positively change kids lives.
As a leader, I feel like one of my greatest talents is discernment. Being able to make smart decisions based on the task ahead of me and the input that I get from my employees has really helped me grow Cast Hope. Gathering lots of information and deciphering that information for the betterment of the organization is probably my greatest strength.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
If people want to support Cast Hope, they can go to the website and donate there. Here is the link for support – www.casthope.org/donate . Monthly donations, or one time gifts, can go a long ways to support kids in San Diego in getting them on the water. We need help buying fishing rods, equipment, flies, and all of the necessary tools to break down the financial barriers to fishing. If we can provide kids with good equipment, teach them how to use their local resources, and create paths to bond with the mentors, then we are going to create kids who want to take care of San Diego’s environment and outdoor spaces. The biggest need we have is fundraising and each person reading this has the ability to make a difference with just a few dollars from their budget.
Pricing:
- $10/month – Buy a kid and mentor lunch each month.
- $25/month – Buy a dozen flies for a kid each month.
- $50/month – Buy all the necessary fishing tackle for a kid every month.
- $100/month – Buy a fishing rod for a kid each month
- General Donation – Any amount will benefit a kid.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.casthope.org/donate
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/casthope/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/casthope
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGO-fNKK4-gOeydGa4O0Zdg
