Scout honors mentor with 'Funds for Fish'

Every time Naperville Eagle Scout Quinn Draz catches a fish, he thinks of his mentor, Forest Preserve District of DuPage County ecologist Don LaBrose.

"He's had quite an influence on me," Draz said. "I'm still learning from what he's done."

LaBrose, who passed away unexpectedly in 2012, helped Draz plan his Eagle Scout project to build 30 submersible fish habitats and 18 fishing-line collection stations for the preserves. After Draz completed the project, he decided to honor his mentor with Funds for Fish, a campaign to raise $5,000 to introduce a new species of hybrid bluegill to forest preserve waters to attract younger anglers.

Draz recently met LaBrose's sisters and representatives of DuPage Rivers Fly Tyers, or DRiFT, who presented Draz with a check for $1,000 for Funds for Fish at a forest district board meeting.

"On behalf of the entire Forest Preserve District of DuPage County's Board of Commissioners, I'd like to thank both Quinn and DRiFT for everything they've done to contribute to Don's memory and advance the mission and purpose of this district," DuPage forest district President Joe Cantore said.

DRiFT's donation brings the campaign's total to $3,612, or 72 percent of Draz's goal of $5,000. LaBrose's mother, sisters Sherri Loughry and Karen Schaeflein, and their families also donated to the campaign. Draz has personally donated nearly $300 of his own money, and his relatives have contributed as well.

"He's got the biggest smile on his face," Schaeflein said of her brother. "Don was an Eagle Scout and he loved kids. I think because Quinn was so into fishing, Don took him under his wings."

"I'm so glad I could be here," said Loughry, who lives in Arizona. "My brother would have been extremely proud of Quinn. I'm glad he's able to carry on his legacy. It means more than he can possibly know."

DRiFT representatives said they were thrilled to be able to support a project that embodies their principles of education, conservation and restoration of the waterways.

"What Quinn is doing is exactly what DRiFT stands for," said John Dyers, the group's director of conservation.

Art Mazzier, DRiFT director emeritus, knew LaBrose personally and worked with him on the waterways.

"I can't say enough about Don," he said. "He had a tremendous impact on people."