Lake Weatherford host C.A.S.T. for Kids

Lake Weatherford was the site of the seventh annual C.A.S.T. for Kids event on Saturday, Oct. 12. The event was designed to provide children with disabilities ages 6 to 18 the opportunity to enjoy a quality outdoor recreational experience through the sport of fishing.

Event coordinator Landon Martin was quick to say “don’t say thank you” to him for all that he does to make this happen. Martin stated he gets “Lots of pride out of it when he sees young teens come out to volunteer with their parents and later come back as adults with boats of their own to volunteer.”  

And for Martin,  that’s what this is all about. This seems to be a common theme for a lot of the people who make this event a reality.    

Jonathan Britt,  owner of Slick Baits in Decatur,  who has been a big supporter of the event by volunteering and as a sponsor, said, “Being a father of five kids of my own,  it brings me great pleasure to be a part of bringing the next generation of young people into the sport and learning the importance of giving back. 

"Working  with these kids grabbed our hearts from the beginning and been such a blessing”.   

Britt and his son,  Lukas,  spent the morning captaining a child on the water while his wife,  Ashley,  and other children were on the shore volunteering.   

When asked about the number one need they have,  Martin stated, “Time is the number one need that we fall short of. It’s easy to write a check, what we need most is volunteers willing to give a half a day to captain these kids.”   

Martin went on to explain that a big part of the volunteers were not from the local community. There were people from as far away as Waco who trailered a boat up to be an on-water volunteer.  

For information on how you can be a part of helping this event take place locally every year,  visit castforkids.org/cast-ways-to-give/.

C.A.S.T. for Kids is a non-profit that gives back to the communities it serves through various events of its own and supporting other events with donations when they have a surplus. The organization is run by volunteers and only has five paid employees nationwide.