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Volunteers inspire kids with love of fishing
(by Joseph Koziol Jr. - June 13, 2012)
Volunteers inspire kids with love of fishing
By JOSEPH KOZIOL JR.
A black snake slithered under the fishing pole of Thomas Lupca, 8, of Auburn Township.
"We've seen more nature today than we have in our whole life," Thomas's father, Dennis, said.
Getting close to nature and dipping a line in the water at Walter C. Best Wildlife Preserve was an opportunity some of the 20 Geauga County students, who attended the Saturday outing, rarely have.
But, thanks to the Bricklayers Union and Allied Craftworkers, Local #16, the Union Sportsmen's Alliance, the Geauga Park District and several local businesses, the children got an opportunity to discover a whole new world.
James Dvorak, a Burton Township Trustee and an officer with the bricklayer's union, said he has been planning the outing that gave developmentally disabled and children with autism a chance to enjoy a day in the sun, trying to outwit the bluegills, bass and catfish. Last November, he organized a deer hunt in southern Ohio for disabled youth.
Each child was given a rod and reel to test their skills and take home at the end of the day.
"This is easy," said Jacob Meister, of Chester Township, who said he was looking for the "big ones" this day. Jacob was already an experienced angler, having fished with his grandparents in Missouri.
"I have two fish already," said Dominic Clark, 8, of Auburn Township, who stood at one of 20 fish sites set up. His brother, Anthony, 9, chose to stroll around the park, taking in nature's sights.
Those fishing sites were stocked with volunteers from the union, like John Lucarelli, of Chardon and Neal Helmick, of Eastlake, who gave up their Saturday mornings to give advice and encouragement to the young anglers.
"Everybody likes to see a kid catch a fish," said Dan Musacchio, of Roaming Shores, who serves a president of the bricklayers union.
"We're trying to put the community back in community," he said.
Nate Whiteman, director of USA events and fund raisers for the Union Sportsmen's Alliance which serves the U.S. and Canada, said the five-year-old organization is dedicated hunting, fishing and conservation. It also promotes giving children across the United States an opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors. In addition to the event here, he said, outings were taking place in Las Vegas, Wisconsin and Illinois. Some gave children with cancer and others economically disadvantaged the opportunity to enjoy a day of fishing.
He said the organization has done stream clean-ups and assisted financially a fish hatchery in Houston. The organization, headquartered in Nashville, serves union workers who are sportsmen on the side.
Thomas Curtin, Geauga parks director, said it was the first event of its kind for the park district. The park, a popular place for dog walkers and joggers, was closed to allow the children uninterrupted concentration on the task at hand.
"All we did was provide the venue," Mr. Curtin said.
Each of the 50 volunteers was given a T-shirt that stated "I made a difference."
Mr. Dvorak said it took a community, in addition to the volunteers, to make that difference.
Chardon and Munson fire departments provided onsite assistance, the Geauga County Educational Center provided two teachers and a list of children. St. Denis Golf Course in Chardon Township provided golf carts and O'Reilly Equipment, of Newbury Township, provided transportation for the golf carts. Sunrise Springs Water Company, of Newbury, provided bottled water and Burton Floral and Garden, of Burton Township, provided centerpieces for the lunch tables. Mr. Dvorak said the centerpieces were made using blue bricks, with blue being the color of autism.
For Mr. Lupca, the event likely will become a new hobby for him and his son.
"He's been interested in it," Mr. Lupca said. "Now he's going to be like this and bother me to take him fishing all the time."
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