Fish For A Wish event to benefit Make-A-Wish

Bob Esbensen helped bring home gold as a U.S. team member in the 2010 World Ice Fishing Championship, so he knows a thing or two about fishing.

The Palatine man also knows about the dreams that come true through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which granted one for his sick son years ago.

So it was only natural that the fundraiser he started combine the two.

On Sunday, Esbensen is putting on the 10th Annual Fish For A Wish Championship at Lake Arlington in Arlington Heights. Proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

"I knew I had to support the organization that did so much for us," said Esbensen, a veterinarian who owns Arlington Cat Clinic. "It's very expensive to grant a wish, so every penny helps."

For a minimum donation of $25, anglers of all ages can catch unlimited fish from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. from the shore. Registration starts at 7:30 a.m. and no license is required.

There will be three divisions: adults, ages 10 to 16 and kids 10 and under. Prizes will be awarded to those with the highest total weight of fish, which will be released after the competition. The most common catches are bluegill, crappie and largemouth bass.

Esbensen said it's important other children with life-threatening illnesses experience the joy his son, Pete, did as a fourth-grader in 1997 when he met Michael Jordan.

He was in remission after an episode of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and had gone through chemotherapy.

Now healthy and one semester away from graduating with a business degree from the University of Texas, all the Esbensens look back fondly on Pete's wish, which also included a Chicago Bulls game, a downtown hotel stay, shopping and parties.

"Something like that can do a lot for a kid's spirits," Esbensen said. "I was so impressed with what Make-A-Wish did for us."