Foundation Brightens the Day for those with Special Needs
By John Felsher
Nothing can brighten a day more than a young child smiling after catching his or her first fish, even more so when it’s a special needs child. Since 1991, the C.A.S.T for Kids Foundation made that happen many times throughout the country.
“C.A.S.T stands for Catch A Special Thrill,” says Jeff Barnes of Albertville, the foundation eastern regional director. “The foundation enriches the lives of children with special needs, supports their families and strengthens communities through fishing. We empower families and communities to celebrate children with special needs. This makes these children feel valued and loved.”
The organization has been in Alabama for about 15 years. It scheduled seven events in Alabama this year.
“We’ve been bringing lots of smiles to a lot of wonderful kids for a long time,” Barnes says. “We have some wonderful volunteers, not just in Alabama, but all over the nation. They get their communities behind an event for these kids.”
Volunteer coordinators organize events in their communities. Some events take place strictly on the shorelines. In other events, boat owners volunteer to take children fishing for a few hours.
“Our events are put on by volunteer coordinators in their communities to give a morning of fishing to some kids who maybe would never otherwise have that opportunity,” Barnes says. “Every child attending an event receives a rod and reel, a tackle box, a shirt and a hat to keep. We hold an award ceremony when everybody returns from fishing for lunch. Each child receives a plaque with his or her picture on it and a picture of the volunteer who assisted that child that day.”
Each child faces challenges, some physical and some mental or both. Some children must overcome physical disabilities like deafness, blindness or missing limbs. Others battle against mental challenges, such as autism or Down syndrome. Some live with deadly or debilitating diseases including cancer. The organization uses the words “children and kids” very loosely regarding ages.
Catching a fish, any fish any kind of way, like this bluegill, makes kids happy just to have something pulling on their line.
“Kids with any type of mental or physical disability can attend our events,” Barnes says. “We target six- to 18-year-olds, but we have many events with some people in their 30s and 40s or older. We realize that a lot of young adults also have special needs. Some have attended our events for 30 years.”
Many participants have never touched a fishing rod before or even thought about it. Adult volunteers – who are often accomplished anglers from fishing clubs, but sometimes just people who want to help – teach the children how to do such things as bait a hook, cast a line or know when they get a bite and set the hook. Volunteer boaters take the participants on the water and also teach or assist the children to do the same skills.
“Some kids are able to do more than others,” Barnes says. “Sometimes, the volunteers end up doing most of the fishing and the kids reel in the fish. We hope in the future the families of those children will take them fishing again and they will keep fishing as a family.”
Kids, parents, volunteers all benefit
These children don’t care what pulls on the other end of the line. Whenever youngsters, especially those with special needs, catch something, anything, their smiles make everything worthwhile to all the folks around them.
“The parents get a good bit out of every event because they get to see their child learn, participate in new activities and act like regular children,” Barnes says. “Many times, the parents learn things and then get interested in fishing themselves. Often, I hear comments like, ‘We weren’t going to sign up because we didn’t think she’d like it,’ or ‘We never thought about fishing before and didn’t realize how much he would like it.’”
Everyone who attends an event, volunteers, parents and children, all get something out of it. The volunteers might even get more out of these events than the children. Volunteers get the pleasure and satisfaction of teaching new skills to special people that many others shun or simply ignore.
“For the second year, my husband and I hosted a C.A.S.T. For Kids Foundation event on our property,” says Marguerite Culpepper. “Once again, the community of special needs children enjoyed a wonderful fishing day with their families. It was a day to forget about doctor appointments, and sometimes, daily challenges. All of that was left at the gate. The community volunteers met these families, gave high fives and cheered them on during the lunch award ceremony.”
For each event, participants must preregister. Sometimes, an event will only include participants from certain schools or other organizations. Some event coordinators open registration to anyone with special needs.
“We like a maximum of 40 kids to participate in an event,” Barnes says. “In my opinion, the volunteers get as much or more out of these events than the kids. They see the face of the children light up when they catch a fish and the children say the darndest things.”
The foundation receives no tax dollars. The 501c3 organization depends upon donations. Some sponsors help with funding. For each event, the volunteer coordinator raises money to pay for it. The organization must buy all the fishing rods, tackle and other items. The coordinator finds a place to hold the event, enlists people to help the kids and makes sure everything runs smoothly.
“Our biggest need right now is for more volunteer coordinators, people who will be willing to make an event happen in their communities,” Barnes says. “The volunteer coordinators work with our foundation to plan and conduct an event. Often, our volunteers are people who have fished for many years and want to give back to others. They remember when they caught their first fish. To see one of these young people catch a fish for the first time and get excited, that’s awesome. How can someone’s heart not be warmed by that!”
To volunteer, call Barnes at 256-310-4323 or send an email to [email protected]. For more information on the foundation and event schedules, visit cast4kids.org
