Swollfest – “festival for the competition of the swollest fish.”
Our Mission
Swollfest Inc. operates as a volunteer-run, Louisiana non-profit organization that raises money to put back in our local community to help fund Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital, a St. Jude affiliate, as well as other organizations. In addition, Swollfest, Inc. grants needed supplies for charitable summer camps, scholarships, and deserving families during hardship.
Necessary funds are also allocated to afford children and armed services veterans with outdoor experiences and equipment. Some of these experiences are selected to be videoed and made into short films to promote Swollfest.
Our volunteers are committed to working diligently to improve the quality of life through positive experiences and ensure their time goes to creatively staying at the forefront of fundraising, marketing, and promotion of Swollfest, Inc. to help those in need.
History
What is Swollfest?
“On the surface, it’s a fishing rodeo, a charitable fishing tournament, but in the truest sense, it’s a congregation of some of the best people humanity has to offer. This group of board members, volunteers, participants, and sponsors alike, all see the greater good in people.” – Dr. Nick Rauber, Swollfest Founder/Director.
And in the word’s of one of our top sponsors, “It all about the last 20 minutes of Swollfest, where a pavilion full of grown men cry.” – Chris Legrand, owner of Southside Café.
How did you come up with the name “Swollfest?”
In 1997, starting with a whimsical idea as a 17 year old, Nick Rauber decided to put together a weekend fishing tournament, also known as a “rodeo” in South Louisiana. With a few high school friends and three of their fathers, these original eight people shared their dads’ boats and had their moms each cook one night’s meal. While splitting costs for gas, Barefoot Inn motel, and the original trophy for biggest fish, the competition was born.
As teenagers, all the young guys were doing their high school work out routines for their respective sports, which led to the term “Swoll,” then “Swollfest.” Originally foolish and competing around the principle of catching the biggest “swollest” fish, it was coined Swollfest – “festival for the competition of the swollest fish.”
About 1997…
Nick Rauber was always an organizer, starting from a young age, but was also very entrepreneurial and philanthropic. The summer of ‘97 was a pivotal season in Nick’s life. Not only was this the year Swollfest began, but this was also the year he volunteered at the local Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) summer camp, Camp Sunshine.
During camp, Nick took care of a young man, Jerome, with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Jerome was wheelchair-bound, with only enough movement in his right hand forefinger and thumb to operate his wheelchair joystick. Caring for Jerome that week, made Nick tangibly feel humanity, compassion, and empathy, allowing life to take on a very different perspective. At such a vulnerable age, these two major influences, MDA Summer Camp and Swollfest, changed the course of Nick’s life.
Premiere family fishing rodeo
Over many years, Swollfest Fishing Rodeo ® has grown into the premier family fishing event in Grand Isle, LA at the end of Hwy 1. Swollfest annually hosts nearly 1000 registered fishermen, many sponsors and volunteers, as well as 1000s of people to visit Grand Isle for the special weekend.
Swollfest grants community service hours for young volunteers, promotes community outreach, has an appreciation for local artists who design the annual artwork, provides live bands, caters food each night, and is all based around the fundamental principles of philanthropy.
To encourage our families to fish, Swollfest has divisions for women and children as well as youthful activities during the day to engage the next generation! Each year we have a drawing to give away Louisiana lifetime hunting and fishing licenses to a couple lucky youth anglers. This is always a big hit!
So bring the whole family down and come enjoy the long Swollfest weekend, always the second weekend of June.
What does Swollfest benefit?
Swollfest Fishing Rodeo ® has become a unique charitable event that raises money through registrations, sponsorships, sales, and special projects to give back to the community. Each year tens of thousands of dollars are given back to our beneficiaries.
Swollfest has donated $500,000 to the Swollfest Café in the new Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital located in Baton Rouge, LA. In addition to the OLOL Children’s Hospital, each year Swollfest donates to the Sportsman Foundation for Military Families, Grand Isle School, Dr. Matt Matherne Memorial Scholarship, Swollfest Outdoor Wish program, and many other beneficiaries over the years.
What is the Outdoor Wish Foundation?
Several years ago Swollfest Fishing Rodeo ® created the Outdoor Wish Foundation. Our mission with Outdoor Wish was to use funds raised to take differently-abled children and Armed Service veterans on outdoor trips of a lifetime. This comes full circle with the rodeo by ending each year’s tournament by honoring a special individual with the Inspirational Award. This Inspirational Award winner is then given an amazing adventure with no cost at all to the recipient. We cover all travel expenses, fishing, hunting, lodging, processing, taxidermy, and any other cost the trip may incur.
In recent years, we have worked with other charitable organizations to give each recipient an experience they will never forget. Some recipients in the past have received an Action Track Chair (outdoor, all-terrain wheelchair), allowing him or her freedom in the outdoors.
We are also partnered with the beautiful 20,000-acre Recordbuck Ranch in Utopia, Texas to bring the recipients on their dream hunt. We also work with many different outfitters and charter fishing services that allow us to fulfill our dream trips.
Swollfest Productions was born
In 2014, Swollfest Productions was born and became an integral part of our organization, allowing us to film all the events that occur each year. This has become a great asset for our organization because we wanted to encapsulate the passion of everyone involved. Life is all about stories and every one of us has a story.
During the 2015 rodeo, we showed our first documentary of our 2014 Inspirational Award recipient, Sgt. George Wells, US Army disabled veteran, which was a success on many levels, but it showed the emotional investment of every person associated to Swollfest Fishing Rodeo ® and solidified the mission of Swollfest.
Each year thereafter, we have documented our Inspirational Award recipients and their Outdoor Wish trips. This has become the centerpiece of the Saturday night closing ceremony.
Thanks to Chris Serio with Streetcar Films and Justan Hood with Studio H Productions for all of their time and expertise in creating these timeless productions.
Dr. Matt Matherne Memorial Scholarship
In 2016, Nick Rauber started a scholarship in the memory of one of his best friend’s and Swollfest’s beloved board members, Dr. Matt Matherne. After a long battle with Frontal Temporal Lobe Dementia (FTD), Matt passed away on October 14, 2015.
In his memory, each year the Dr. Matt Matherne Memorial Scholarship is given to a graduating Grand Isle High School senior that exemplifies what Matt appreciated most, helping others.
