People
Friends, Fun, and Fishing!
“Sharing the fun of fishing turns strangers into friends in a few hours.” – Eugenie Clark.
In early June, friends and roommates from one of our Communitas homes enjoyed a day fishing at the Freshwater Fishing Hatcheries in Abbotsford. The event was organized by Fishing Forever, a program of BC Wildlife Federation, that promotes fishing for people of all abilities. Events are hosted all over BC.
Tanya Tomsic manages the home where Marina, Marie, and Clyde live. When she asked if anyone was interested in participating, these three immediately responded with an enthusiastic “yes!”
“The event was free and well organized,” Tanya says. “Everything was set up for participants and we didn’t have to worry about gear or anything else. You didn’t even have to know how to fish!”
Both Marina and Marie’s fathers were prolific fishermen. Marie was particularly looking forward to attending the event. Participants received a participation medal and Marie spent almost half an hour admiring hers. She caught two fish and enjoyed two hot dogs.
Marina and Clyde also caught fish and thoroughly enjoyed the day. When they got home and were enjoying their evening meal together, Clyde stood up from the table and proclaimed: “You know what? I like fishing!”
“The day really left an impression,” Tanya says.
Staff also enjoyed the day. Raj Yelamanchili and Angie Dumpit are two of the support workers who accompanied the housemates on their adventure. Raj had never been fishing before and enjoyed the experience.
I was glad to see so many people, so happy to be fishing – Raj, Support Worker
Angie enjoyed meeting people from other organizations and said that learning how to cast with the fishing rod was the highlight of her day.
“The happiness of the people we serve when you were able to catch a fish was just overwhelming,” Angie says. “It made me want to keep on catching some fish, just to keep them giggling.”
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