For the past three years, I have taken clients/residents from a treatment center in New Westminster out fishing. It is not only important for them to learn new hobbies and discover new passions to ensure a healthy recovery and life moving forward in their journey, but also it is important for me to give back to a place that literally saved my life. Since I have been clean I quickly learned that I only keep the life I have by sharing it with others, I have done my best to share my passion for the outdoors, and namely the passion for fishing we all share here, with as many people as I can who would otherwise not have the opportunity to do so. As a result, many lasting friendships have been made, and I believe that lives have been changed for the better. Sick people got well, and those people who felt alone found something healthy they could share with another person. I know there is more to recovery from addiction than fishing, but it certainly helped me on my journey to find a new and better way to live, and I believe that something like this can help others as well.
I was lucky enough to pair up with a former councilor and friend of mine at the Last Door Recovery Society (lastdoor.org) who is also an avid fisherman, and we were able to combine gear, knowledge, and our mutual passion for fishing to take "new guys" out and show them part of what a healthy lifestyle can look like. To date I have taken out kids with zero knowledge of the outdoors to former sportsmen who lost their way, and even those whose lives used to revolve around the back alleys of the downtown east side. Some stuck with it and continue to fish with me today, while others were simply grateful for the opportunity and experience…
Unfortunately, hooks get lost, old waders start to leak, rods snap and reels blow up. Lately I have been looking to purchase reels, rods, gear, waders and the like to donate to the “fishing cause”, and get guys out on the water. The search has been slow due mostly to financial constraints, as the fishing program is essentially funded by me and one other. I recently posted in the “buy and sell” section looking for reels to purchase, and a certain Senior Member on FWR immediately reached out to inform me that he had some gear available. I thought, “Great! Hopefully I can make a deal and buy a reel or two!”, but he stepped up and surpassed all expectations.
People from FWR have previously offered logistical assistance (rides), like “Hook”, provided info on locations to take people, like “Flyfishin Magician” and other who have generally provided insight and help that I could not. But this member went above and beyond and generously donated a couple new level-wind combos, a spinning rod/reel and even a sage fly-rod and reel combo. I offered to pay what I could, but he refused.
To paraphrase, he thought it was a great idea to get guys recovering from dark days, sad and often terribly destructive lives out to try something new and to show them how fun certain aspects of life can be, and he felt these guys deserved some decent gear and not old worn out stuff.
Words cannot adequately describe how much this member of FWR has helped me ensure that those looking for new ways to live have the opportunity to experience a day on the water. I hope he will join me and guys sometime soon and experience the satisfaction and gratitude I find from watching another person get hooked on fishing!
I guess it’s something akin to the old saying, “give a man a fish and he can eat for a day, but teach a man to fish…” Well, you get the idea…
Thank you Mike, I am truly grateful that you are willing to share your passion with others. I hope that others out there have the opportunity to do the same
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Topic: The generousity of a complete stranger turned new (fisher) friend!! (Read 10478 times)