Fishing takes patience, some skill, and a little bit of luck.
A local foundation here in the Valley has opened up their land to help disabled veterans.
But you may ask how?
Cast after cast after cast.
“Like the ten o’clock? Or eleven o’clock?” says Monica Gilmore, a disabled army veteran.
“You’re going to go straight twelve o’clock,” says Darren Sisil, local fishing guide.
“Oh, okay,” says Gilmore.
Communication is key for catching fish.
For Monica Gilmore, an army veteran, who lost her vision, she’s still confident in her abilities and reels in the fish like nobody’s business.
“I used to fish when before I went blind,” says Gilmore. “And then I recently, um, took a trip to Milwaukee where I had blind rehabilitation. So we all kind of spread the awareness and meet each other. And share with other veterans the opportunities they have to start doing some of the things they like to do before they went blind.”
Making big waves, the organization “Heroes New Hope Foundation” is based out of Shelburn, Indiana. And as the cast goes out…
“Now crank!” says Sisil. “Crank, crank, crank, crank. Start cranking right now.”
They currently use almost 600 acres of Wabash Valley land to hunt, fish, and help disabled veterans continue to do the things they love, sometimes with just a little aid.
“We have learned that you let them ask you what they need,” says Scott Goodman, founder and president of Heroes New Hope Foundation. “They don’t want help. But there is some things they do need help with.”
These veterans have given and sacrificed more than sometimes imaginable.
So to be able to succeed and feel accomplished, being active helps keep their spirits high.
“You know, we can never repay,” says Goodman. “So this is just a small token. So this helps them, as far as moving on., and they felt that, you know, they wanted to get out and learn to do something and get comfortable with it.”
There is a way, if you’re interested, to help support this local foundation, click here.
Visit their Facebook page, here.
