By Wendy Van Den Boogerd
Special to the PRESS
Martin Van Den Boogerd is shown advising a young boy on his catch. (Photo by Wendy Van Den Boogerd)
Early last Friday morning, the sunshine rested on top of the Laguna Madre while nearby a crowd of 40 kids gleamed with excitement from the pier. It was the perfect day for fishing, and these kids were ready to learn.
The event was brought forth by the Capable Kids foundation, a local nonprofit organization that works with children and young adults with disabilities. Their focus is to provide opportunities for youth to participate in activities that they may not have otherwise.
For some it was their very first fishing trip. Paired with their parents, children of all ages learned how to tie knots, cast a line, identify fish and most importantly catch the fish. One young man proceeded to catch over nine fish which had him beaming from ear to ear.
Stephanie Wilson, program director for the Capable Kids foundation paired with the local nonprofit Fishing’s Future last fall to expose children to fishing.
Fishing’s Future, which has its beginnings on South Padre Island, teaches angling education to kids across the nation. The Fall fishing camp was such a huge hit that Wilson reached out to Shane Wilson, founder of Fishing’s Future, to arrange another fishing camp.
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