Navajo Lake Hosts A Fun Day of Fishing for C.A.S.T. for Kids Event Participants

Written by: Emily Quinn

A happy C.A.S.T. for Kids Participant Waves to the CameraOn Saturday, May 13, 2017, the C.A.S.T. for Kids event was held at Navajo Lake in New Mexico. All 39 children who participated enjoyed the opportunity to experience a morning full of fun and fishing, and many were able to catch their very own fish with help from volunteers and guardians. There were nearly 100 volunteers who helped make this event possible, including 13 boat captains.

The event participants, along with guardians and volunteers, enjoyed a delicious barbecue lunch, and a fun-filled awards ceremony at the end of the day. Participants and volunteers alike had so much fun, and many are planning to return to next year’s C.A.S.T. for Kids event at Navajo Lake.

The C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation was created in 1991, and is a public charity designed to pair volunteers with a passion for fishing and children with disabilities and/or disadvantages for a fun-filled day of fishing. The event creates an adaptive environment for children ages 5-17, who may not otherwise have an opportunity to go fishing. Kids attend events at local lakes or bodies of water, and are supplied with their very own rod and reel, t-shirt, hat, and tackle box. They’re partnered with an experienced, volunteer angler and are taken out on a boat (with a parent or guardian), and shown the basics of fishing.

The late, former Reclamation Commissioner John Keyes III and Reclamation employee Wayne Deason worked together to create the partnership between Reclamation and C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation back in 1992. The program now averages about eighteen events throughout the West each year.

Between 2010 and 2016 alone, the partnership between Reclamation and C.A.S.T. has touched the lives of 4,375 children. More than 7,800 individuals have volunteered their time since the program’s inception in 1992. Since the first event held 1992 at Banks Lake, Washington, the Bureau of Reclamation and the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation have worked together to improve accessibility to outdoor recreation on Reclamation's reservoirs.

Learn more about the C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation here: https://www.usbr.gov/youth/play/cast.html.

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Published on May 15, 2017