|
July 15, 2010
Club Hooks Group on Day of Fishing
Club Hooks Group on Day of Fishing
by Denise M. Baran-Unland for the Herald News
For the fourth consecutive year, a Wilmington conservation club treated adult members and employees of Trinity Services, Inc. in Joliet to an afternoon of fishing, lawn games and picnic food, topped with a much-anticipated water balloon fight.
John Zon, the state director of the Isaak Walton League of America, said the free event last month is the Walter Sherry Memorial Chapter's way of giving back to its community.
"It's part of our mission," Zon said. "We make an effort to help others. Our slogan is, 'Defender of the air, water and soil.' We're not an activist group. We're an educational and lobbying group that seeks responsible environmental lefislation. We work a lot with farmers, teachers and botany professors, that sort of thing."
Zon, an outdoorsman who joined 12 years ago at a friend's suggestion, was impressed with Trinity Services' job counseling assistance for his son, who has a mild disability. At a brain-storming meeting, Zon suggested extending the league's outreach to Trinity Services.
"We own a piece of property just outside Wilmington, near the Kankakee River," Zon said. "It's our little facility for meetins and camping. What we do with Trinity is invite them to come down for the afternoon. We set them up with fishing poles and bait their hooks. Some of the people would rather play bean bag toss, and others just simply like to sit in a chair in the sun and watch the river go by."
Bill Kahoun, a Trinity Services therapist, said this was his second year, and he's thankful to the local chapter of the Isaak Walton League for hosting it. He plans to attend the picnic as long as he's with Trinity. And judging by how quickly clients commit to it, so do many other individuals.
"In my opinion, we can't do enough fo this stuff," Kahoun said. "One of our priorities is to get our folks in the community as much as possible so they get a sense of the community and vice versa. What's nice about this experience is that there's no real rush. We bring them down to do nothing, really, except to relax. We never have any trouble or problems here, and I think it's because of the peaceful surroundings and goodwill involved. Everyone is so friendly and accommodating."
In addition to club members, Zon receives plenty of additional volunteer help to ensure the day runs smoothly.
"Terry Thompson and Troop 25 come out from Crest Hill, and so do many of my neighbors," Zon said. "They told me they've nver received so many hugs."
|
|
|
|