Success Stories About
Volunteers
Fishing for Smiles
Rough River Lake: Story by Carol Baternik
There's
something pure and honest about fishing, says Jeff DeFosse, Army Corps of
Engineers ranger at Rough River Lake, Kentucky. With this credo, DeFosse
marched forward to recruit volunteers from his community for the Corps' second
annual Fishing for Smiles event held Sept. 8.
Fishing for Smiles is a public service fishing festivity designed to give
young people with disabilities and their parents a safe, cost-free outing
where they experience the timeless tradition of fishing. Kentucky Department
of Fish and Wildlife, Kentucky State Parks, Nick's Boat Dock, Wal-Mart and
many other local businesses donated people, services, pontoon boats and captains,
food and supplies including fishing poles and tackle for kids to keep. Fishing
for Smiles T-shirts given by Wal-Mart were the day's uniform.
After
registration, groups of five or six people boarded the boats to begin the
two-hour fishing excursion on Rough River Lake on a warm, bright Saturday.
"Just the perfect day," according to several of the attendees.
"We had a great time boating, but nobody was catching any fish," said DeFosse.
So the party regrouped and fished off a pier. One boy finally caught a good-sized
bluegill. "That was the best satisfaction, seeing him smile like that," DeFosse
said. Volunteers took Polaroid photos of the proud owners with their catch
of the day; then they fired up the grill.
Two of DeFosse's summer hires, Jessica Hendricks and Jo Ann Brown, helped
plan Fishing for Smiles. The young women spent the summer working for the
Corps under the Workforce Recruitment Program for college students with
disabilities. As part of their administrative work, they attended Fishing
for Smiles meetings, and their comments proved to be insightful. "They
both spoke up," DeFosse said. "We initially thought about limiting Fishing
for Smiles to young people with mental disabilities, but Jo Ann said not
to shut anyone out. They said to downplay the disability issue."
Nevertheless, planning an activity around water for disabled youth requires
special considerations for safety. An ambulance, law enforcement boats and
the fire chief from Falls of Rough were on hand at Rough River, prepared
for any contingency. More than 20 volunteers were present helping the group
of 20 young adults and their parent or guardian. DeFosse and his staff
of fellow rangers spent hours composing rosters, making phone calls and
organizing the outing. Brown, who will receive her fine arts degree from
Brescia University, Ky., in December, hand-painted two large signs advertising
the event. Other staff posted fliers.
"You get caught up in the organizing and say to yourself 'come on, let's
just get it over with.' Then on the day of the event, you see the kids get
excited, and it's worth it," he said. Mailing lists for children with
disabilities and public school contacts were used to spread the word. Western
Kentucky University WKYU (PBS) television ran a feature on the program
"Mainstreet Kentucky."
Next year, DeFosse hopes to make a public service announcement promoting
the outing. He hopes to use the media extensively to reach across the miles
and into the hearts of fledgling fishing enthusiasts, to create more smiles.
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