Don Thanks. We worked hard and the cause speaks for itself.Here's the press release.
Jim Dolan
Kayak Anglers Society of America
101-C North Greenville Ave. #55
Allen, TX 75002-2200
214-295-4541
972-333-0462 Cell
Press Release for the HOW grant from TPWD
Kayak Fishing Program for Wounded Warriors Awarded $50,000 Grant
Media Contact: Jim Dolan, 214-295-4541, or jim@KayakAnglersSA.org
ALLEN, Texas The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced July 30
that
it had awarded a $50,000 grant to support the Kayak Anglers Society of
Americas Heroes on the Water program. This program is designed to introduce
the rehabilitative aspects of kayak angling to veterans recovering from war
injuries. .
The Texas non-profit was formed in 2007 by avid kayak anglers who also
happened to be veterans of the United States armed forces.
With a stated goal of increasing access to and participation in kayak angling
nationwide, it didnt take long for KASA founders to reach out to wounded
warriors at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
Working with program managers at BAMC and Fort Sam Houston, we were able to
take our first soldier kayak fishing in October of last year, said KASA
treasurer and board member Jim Dolan, a former U.S. Air Force C-130 pilot.
From there it just kind of grew. By December, we were on our fifth trip,
trout fishing on the Blanco River with eight wounded warriors.
Dolan said the TPWD grant is bootstrap money that will help the
organization acquire paddling and fishing equipment and pay some of the
transportation costs associated with the outings.
Weve had tremendous interest in this program, Dolan said. Weve
actually had more people interested in going out with us than we had money or
volunteers to accommodate. This grant will really help, but its just a
start.
Danny Paschall, a board member and former enlisted soldier who now works in
the oil and gas industry in Houston, said time on the water and recovery from
war wounds is a pretty good match.
To begin with, kayak fishing is an independent activity that almost anyone
can participate in, he said. It can be just as serene and relaxing or
just
as exciting and fast-paced as you want it to be. Its also a lifetime skill
that people can continue to enjoy well into their senior years.
Past participants in the outings have suffered injuries ranging from
amputations to burns to traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress
disorder.
We havent had anyone who couldnt comfortably paddle and fish, said
KASA board member Kendal Larson, a professional photographer who also served
in the Air Force. Those plastic boats are great equalizers. The relaxation
and empowerment we see in the troops is strong stuff.
KASA has plans for as many as a dozen outings in the next year, all of which
are free to participants.
For more information on KASA programs, including Heroes on the Water, or to
donate, visit the KASA Web site. Certification of KASA as a non-profit
educational organization under IRS Code Chapter 501(c)(3) is pending, and
donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
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On the Net:
http://www.KayakAnglersSA.org
EDITORS: For high-resolution digital images of HOW outings, please contact
Jim
Dolan at jim@KayakAnglersSA.org.