Our S-N IWLA Chapter, for the first time, hosted Blue Star Families Connect Outdoors. For information about this organization, see Blue Star Connect Outdoors – Blue Star Families whose focus is to get Military Families into the outdoors. The event’s main focus was to teach participants how to fish.
Fifteen “First Fish” award certificates were issued to children and adults; it was amazing to see both children and adults be so thrilled at catching a fish for the first time in their life!
During the event one of our S-N IWLA Chapter members demonstrated the art of Fly Fishing and Fly Tying. Children and adults were fascinated to see and learn about both of these activities.
But wait, during our park cleanup just prior to the event, Bear Scat was discovered on the dam; where could this have come from? As suspected, some of the Teddy Bears from our Annual Teddy Bear Hunt in April, that escaped from children in the April event, were still present in the park. Children from Blue Star Connect Outdoors have experience in the outdoors, so most of the roaming bears were no match; as a result, five of six fugitive bears where captured (there is still a wild Teddy Bear roaming the park.)
During the event, fifteen S-N IWLA Chapter members worked to give Blue Star Connect Outdoors families an experience to remember for life! Several of our members earned their required 8 hours of annual volunteer work, while others far surpassed their minimum number of hours for the year.
Special thanks to the volunteers that came in early to make the park ready for this event and for those that stayed afterward to clean up the park in several areas.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Station #6 supported the event with an ambulance on station.
For a slideshow of more photos taken at this event, see https://youtu.be/Gy27GIWHzpI.
