Aurora Noon Lions host picnic, fishing clinic for deaf and hearing-impaired students

At the 17th annual picnic May 6, Aurora Noon Lions Club members received an appreciation award on behalf of deaf and hearing-impaired students from East and West Aurora public school districts.

Aurora Noon Lions hosted the free picnic, as well as its first fishing clinic, at Phillips Park in Aurora for 40 students, teachers and interpreters in the Sycamore-based Northwestern Illinois Association, a regional special-education cooperative.

Dick Schindel, picnic/clinic coordinator, led Lions volunteers who helped kids bait hooks, catch fish and then release them back into the water.

The Northwestern Illinois Association is a Regional Special Education Cooperative serving children with special needs from birth to age 21.

These students reside in member school districts located in the 10 northwestern counties of Illinois (Boone, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, Kane, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside, and Winnebago).

The personnel of the NIA and of member districts and participating special education cooperatives work together to develop comprehensive services for children with special needs. Typically, school districts provide the teacher, classroom, and basic educational materials and equipment for these children. The NIA provides specialized related and supported services for these programs and organizations. For more on the NIA, visit www.thenia.org.