Borza marine art to be featured at 8th annual BTT fundraiser

■ BY MARCY SHORTUSE   
If you’re a fan of marine art and the conservation of our water, mark your calendar now and make plans to attend the 8th Annual BTT Boca Grande fundraiser on Friday, Feb. 3 at The Gasparilla Inn Beach Club.
Anglers from around the area will gather at The Gasparilla Inn Beach Club beginning at 6 p.m. Cocktails and light hors d’oeuvres will be served at that time, and attendees will be able to browse the silent auction and raffle items.
Those items will include two pieces by local artist Kelly (Reark) Borza, who will be presenting a tarpon and a bonefish mount for the auction. Kelly has been an artist since she was a child and has been professionally showing and selling her work since 2001.
Borza said both mounts will be of a standard 54-inch size and will feature flats fishing designs.
“The depictions on both mounts go along with the Bonefish & Tarpon Trust conservation message,” she said. “I grew up fishing in Boca Grande and Chokoloskee with my dad, who has always been conservation minded. Our family’s motto has always been to leave only footprints and to clean up after yourself. We have to respect the fishery so that future generations can enjoy it. Now that I’m a mom with two boys, that message means even more to me.”
Borza lives in Charlotte County with her husband, Dave, and her two boys, Granger and Grayson.
If you are interested in Borza’s art that will be auctioned at the BTT fundraiser and by chance you don’t win, you can still order your own work from her through April. At 7 p.m. BTT members will present a conservation update regarding their work locally, so be sure to stick around for that.
This event sold out early last year, so please reserve your space today by registering online at BTT.org/BocaGrande.
For questions or reservations, contact Mark Rehbein at (703) 350-9195 or by e-mail at mark@bonefishtarpontrust.org. The cost is $100 per person or $175 per couple.