One Hope United boys enjoy day of fishing
Submitted by Joyce Heneberry, One Hope United
The young boys ages 10-18 in the One Hope United CARE program had an opportunity to cast and reel in hundreds of fish on Saturday, June 16, Father’s Day weekend.
Founded in 1981 in Elgin, today’s 325 member Fox River Valley Chapter of Muskies Inc. hosted the second Annual Fishing Derby for the boys in the residential program in Lake Villa. The boys ages 10-18 live on the One Hope United 33 acre campus on Deep Lake in Lake Villa. The CARE program is a safe and therapeutic environment for abused and neglected boys until they can be returned to their own family or a foster home.
About 15 of the Fox River Valley Chapter members arrived, some as early as 5 a.m., with their specialized fishing boats ready to spend the morning teaching, modeling and enjoying a sport that most of these boys have not had exposure to previously.
The boats, fishermen, boys and OHU staff were on the lake by 7 a.m. Some boys had not even been on a boat before so there was a lot of anxiety early Saturday morning yet lots of big smiles as they walked up the launch after the fishing. All the attention they all got throughout the morning and the modeled behavior of the fishermen will stay with them long after the triumphs of the fish counts. The sheets of rain before the boats got out of the water seemed to be just a small blip in a very memorable day.
The Fox River Valley Chapter works closely with a variety of civic and community organizations to help promote activities that promote the benefits of fishing with a target group being at risk teens.
One Hope United serves almost 27,000 children and families in northern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin, working to protect children and strengthen families with a vision of a safe home for every child.
For more information about One Hope United, contact Joyce Heneberry at (847) 321-0599 or at Ÿ To submit Your news, send it to nbrcalendar@dailyherald.com.">JHeneberry@onehopeunited.org