Temple Lake Park, Belton Lake
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By: Kassie Waibel
Community Service Liaison, Outreach Health Services
As a child I caught my first fish at my families cabin 'The Lauffin Place'; located on a fresh water lake in Florida famous for bass and brim. I didn't fish with anything fancy, just a small rod and reel with a red and white bobber and superbly rolled dough balls. I listened carefully, I think, to the instructions on how to properly cast and when to reel the line in. The first tug on the line indicated my fish was "on" and I reeled in a 'whopper" as my grandfather referred to it. I was thrilled with my success and have never forgotten that moment, so when I was asked to organize a fishing event hosted by Outreach Health Services from our local Killeen office, I jumped at the chance.
April 29, 2006 on Belton Lake near Killeen, Texas, 36 special needs kids from the surrounding community received the opportunity to make their own special moments.
The night before the event the skies over central Texas were turbulent, with high winds, torrential rain, and as we refer to it in our home, "tornadic" conditions. I know the exact moment the weather turned, because I was still up, worrying, as I had volunteers from Outreach Health Services Garland office camped out on a bluff right in the middle of the storms fury. No one was injured, just cold and wet and I am sure more than a bit frightened, but they along with 100 more volunteers reported for duty Saturday morning as scheduled. The day began still a bit overcast, but we were determined to forge ahead, after all, along with many prayers, Rusty Garrett, our local weather man had assured me personally that our day would be wonderful.
As first time event hosts, we began our day full of anticipation and energy. We signed in all the volunteers and gave them their marching orders, then signed in the boaters. We started out with a confirmed 20 boaters and through the grace of God; we ended up with over 27. Just when we needed it most, Starbucks arrived with portable back pack canisters full of hot aromatic coffee and donuts by the dozens from Shipley's appeared hot and fresh. We were now ready for the kids and their families. Our support system widened with the arrival of Chief Haas from the Copperas Cove Fire Department and his two way radios. Now we could communicate with the touch of a button; the Fire Department also provided us with several volunteers and back up medical support. The Fort Hood Police and Texas Park Ranger's assisted us in those first moments of organizational movement. We had 36 kids pre registered and we sent 36 out in boats. We were even able to send the local news reporter and our own Mike Ross out in boats to view and capture first hand the great time the kids were having.
The excitement of pairing the kids with boaters and getting them geared up was electrically charged, and fully under the control of Debbie Davis, Planning Committee Extraordinaire. Many different situations arose that the planning manual could never have anticipated. We had two siblings who had never been in a boat before clinging to their mother and crying. Finally, we were able to coax them into the boat with the promise from the boat Captain to "go slow." We had one family arrive with four wheelchair bound kids that required a major force of volunteer assistance to get them geared up and safely on the large pontoon boat reserved just for them. Many kids ditched their wheelchairs and walkers and made themselves comfortable along with their parents in boats with their boat Captain and boat "Buddie." As the last boat launched, the volunteers took a deep breath and moved to the Pavilion where a small army of volunteers under the command of Site Committee chairperson, Chris Waibel and his assistant Tony Davis, had already set up sites for the Home Depot Kid Clinic, UMHB's Fish Printing, Fun Solutions Tiger Belly Bounce manned by Harker Heights High School Volunteers, and Ft. Hood's K9 Team. The sky by now was bright blue with large puffy white clouds and the water on Lake Belton reflected blue-green; not a trace of the previous night's storm evident. The kids were in for a great day and hopes were high they would catch a fish or two. Several local community sponsors including All U MED and Dodge Country were on hand to lend volunteer support and as the day progressed every volunteer was needed. Bubba and Lisa Harris from Bubba's Café were already busy over a smoking BBQ preparing hamburgers and hotdogs to go along with the food donated by several local restaurants. Jessica Davis and her crew of volunteer helpers were busy printing the kid's photos for the plaques on the camera dock generously loaned by Circuit City. As the rest of us waited for the kids to return, the K9 team performed a demonstration for the volunteers as we continued to prepare for the day. Soon it was time to head back to the dock and greet the returning boats loaded with our precious cargo. We were delighted to find that not only had the kids had a great time on the water, but without exception all had caught fish. We could tell the boat Captains had done their jobs when the kids stretched their arms wide to indicate the size of their catch; some even offered the actual fish as proof. One young man and his crew caught 22 with 17 making it to shore. With the help of Ellison High's HOSA club, even the participants on the pontoon boat caught a fish or two. It was hard to tell who was more excited, us, the kids, the boaters, or the parents. One thing was certain; these kids knew for a moment the thrill I had experienced many years ago. One young man on returning to shore grabbed the leg of a volunteer and said, "This is the best day of my life." Guess who has already signed up to volunteer at next year's event?
As lunch was being served and the line snaked towards the food tables, Sparky the Fire Dog from the Copperas Cove Fire Department arrived by boat to a round of cheers and applause. As Sparky joined the crowd, the awards ceremony began with a solo rendition of the national anthem by Devony Bailey followed by opening remarks by Shane Hill, our fearless Boater Chairperson. Leroy Eaton gave thanks for the blessings already experienced that day and asked for continued blessings on all those present.
The day ended with a wonderful meal followed by the presentation of awards by the boaters to the kids and a second K9 demonstration. The smiles and tears were equally present. Not one person in attendance left without knowing what C.A.S.T. really stands for as we all Caught a Special Thrill. When the last volunteer left, including the Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts who left the site in pristine condition, I finally let out my breath. Whew! We had done it despite a last minute site change, lack of confirmed boaters, and "tornadic" conditions. I have already held planning meetings in anticipation of next year's event for as my 15 yr old son said, "We have to do this every year 'cause these kids had so much fun."
Special thanks to LCRA, Texas Parks and Wildlife, Army Corps of Engineers, and all who contributed to our event. Without you and your kindness, no amount of planning on our part would have been enough. The smiles on the kid's faces are testament to your generosity. To view more pictures of the event April 29, 2006, log onto www.outreachhealth.com and click on events link. We had a great time!
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(Click on a picture to enlarge)
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