This was the funnest day I’ve ever had in my life!

Foster Child

The Mayfly Project Mentee

Martinsville, New Jersey Project

Lead Mentor: Chris Caldwell

Co-Lead Mentor: Marc Quintavalle

Project Location: Martinsville, New Jersey

Project Founded: 2020 founded, will launch 2021

Mentors to be added to the team: 8-10

Children to mentor in 2021: 6-8

Local foster care partners:  Currently searching for partners.

Local sponsors/company partners: Currently searching for local sponsors and partners.

Contact: Chris Caldwell, New Jersey

Mentor Application

 

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Martinsville, New Jersey Project

TMP seems like the perfect way for me to marry my passion for service with my love of fly fishing. While I’ve fished all my life, I’ve only recently (2+years) discovered fly fishing, and now it’s my favorite way to fish. The region offers so many great types of fly fishing, and I’d love to share those experiences with kids who really need this kind of support.

Chris Caldwell

Lead Mentor, Martinsville, New Jersey Project

Project Mentors

CHRIS CALDWELL, LEAD MENTOR

Martinsville, New Jersey

Chris grew up fishing the local streams, lakes, and rivers of Somerset County, NJ. Currently living in Hoboken, Chris ventures out of the city pretty much every weekend in search of new trout hot-spots up and down the east coast. As a marketing professional working in NYC, Chris is most looking forward to spreading the word & mission of TMP within NJ. Chris is honored to help start the NJ Mayfly Project by working with so many fantastic folks in the local fishing community to bring this great sport and culture to children in and around the tri-state area.

MARC QUINTAVALLE, CO-LEAD MENTOR

Jersey City, New Jersey

Born and raised in NJ, Marc was introduced to the sport of fly fishing by his father who spent weekends in the spring and summer introducing his son to the famed Catskill rivers. Later on, Marc spent the better part of 10 years in Boston for school/work where he was bitten by the salt bug and has since come down with Striper fever. Nonetheless, whether found knee-deep in a river or out battling surf, Marc’s happy place is wherever a rod is in hand. Now, as a Marketing Director who calls the concrete jungle his home, Marc cherishes every chance he has out on the water to reconnect and reboot his soul. And it’s exactly this mindset and passion that has Marc looking so forward to passing along as a Mentor of the New Jersey MayFly Project..

DAN GANTER, MENTOR

Landsdale, New Jersey

A Philly suburbs native, Dan didn’t get the fly fishing bug until he was 25. For the last 8 years, Dan has been exploring PA North, South, East and West; and teaching some of his close friends and family how to fly fish. Having grown up with two older brothers, a single Father and a large family – Dan has tons of experience teaching and working with children. Along with fishing, he enjoys exploring, tying and learning about native insects and plants. He can’t wait to get started on a project, and is looking forward to teaching children not only how to fish but how to enjoy the outdoors.

PHIL TERRANO, MENTOR

Mt. Kisco, New York

I was born in the Bronx and raised in the Hudson Valley. I’ve been fishing since I was old enough to hold a rod, first in lakes and ponds, then in the Long Island Sound with my dad, and eventually found my way back to the rivers and streams of the Catskills and Adirondacks. I’m the Creative Director for a company in Tarrytown, NY and in my free time when I’m not fishing, I build Bamboo Rods for my company Hudson Valley Rod Co. I’m excited to share my passion for fly fishing with some kids who can hopefully find in it the solace I always have!

STEVEN MEISELES, MENTOR

Morris Plains, New Jersey

Steven Meiseles’s passion is natural trout on native waters. Nothing is as thrilling as catching, holding, and releasing a trout whose ancestors have existed for 40 thousand years. Add to that, figuring out what the trout was eating, the beautiful surroundings, and the possibility tricking a fish to eat a fly that you’ve tied. It gives you a sense of connection and the wonder of our place in the universe. To paraphrase Robert Trevor “I love to fish because I love the environs where trout are found”. Steven, and his wife, live in New Jersey and have two grown children. Steven is a retired corporate controller and now spends his time with a local volunteer ambulance squad, Trout Unlimited, fishing and talking about fishing.

LAURA COLANGELO, MENTOR

Hampton, New Jersey

Always a Jersey girl, Laura grew up living life on the Barnegat Bay before she planted her roots in Hunterdon County, NJ. Laura fell in love with fly fishing not too long ago and spends a lot of her free time out of work exploring the local water ways in search of a trout on her fly line. When she’s not out and about exploring, Laura works as a General Sales Manager for a car dealership, loves to read and play the mandolin. Laura is excited to share the joy she has found in fly fishing and the lessons it teaches, with the kids of TMP.

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Martinsville, New Jersey Project

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