FISHING: Caught a great time

A gift my late father gave me was the love for fishing. On May 31, I was able to share that experience, thanks to the Idaho Department of Fish and Game and their “Take Me Fishing” program with the special needs students from Ponderosa Elementary. What a blast! Phil Cooper, Jim Burkholder, Kristian Carson, Mark Rhodes, Seth Altmeyer and Rick Bogar went over the top providing all the tools needed for this endeavor, including bait, tackle and an enormous amount of patience and caring.

Reflecting on the day, I saw students focused and fascinated with the fish. They bravely felt the texture of their catch, gained confidence to try something new by touching a live worm and were overjoyed with laughter at sensation of a wiggling fish on the line. Phil Cooper and his outstanding crew of volunteers went an extra step for these special kids by arranging for cleaning and cooking of some of Idaho’s finest rainbow trout so the students could taste and experience the entire process.

There is no “thank you” big enough, loud enough to give these volunteers for providing one of the best fishing days ever.

SANDY COMBO

Speech-Language Pathologist

Coeur d’Alene