WHEN: July 21st Reunion Retreat – 8:00 am until 6:00 pm

WHERE: PERE MARQUETTE RIVER – Baldwin & Branch, MI

HOSTS: Reeling & Healing Midwest and The Pere Marquette River Lodge

DETAILS: Join Reeling & Healing Midwest, The Pere Marquette River Lodge and our good friends from Reel Recovery to celebrate a day of trout fishing on the beautiful waters of the Pere Marquette River. Individuals who have taken part in any fly fishing retreat programs for cancer survivors as a participant, volunteer or supporter are encouraged to attend. SPECIAL NOTE: This year, survivors are encouraged to bring their caregiver or personal supporter along to enjoy the day as well.

Our friends and certified river guides at The Pere Marquette River Lodge have arranged to provide river float trips and guiding expertise for the day. Those attending will have the opportunity to wade fish and/or enjoy a float down the river. A hearty continental breakfast, shore lunch, beverages and munchies will be served. Fishing equipment and waders will be available for use too.

COST: $40.00 for the day (includes breakfast, lunch, beverages, equipment, float trips and guides). Dinner is optional for an additional $15.00 and will be served at the lodge.

Click here to view a schedule of events for the day.

What to bring? You will need a fishing license. It may be purchased at the lodge. Click here for a suggested list of items to bring as well as more license info.

To register or for more information, phone 616-855-4017 or email info@ReelingandHealingMidwest.org.

Fish On!

Well, I believe if we had taken an exit poll, everyone would have voted to fish more in the spring time with the beautiful weather we enjoyed, to fish on the North Branch of the Au Sable (easy wading and little traffic) and to visit Arnie & Aggie again and again. Was that a wonderful weekend or what? I’m still feeling blessed.
Where do you begin when you think back to that May weekend? The beautiful, historical stretch of river, the wildlife that surrounded us, the four-wheeler tours through the woods, the camaraderie, the terrific fishing, the meals & snacks galore, the calm comfort and giving nature of our hosts Aggie and Arnie or the power struggle for a fishing vest or blue shirt or a fishing shirt (Carrie may have worn that vest to bed along with a smile on her face)?

Was it the quiet time you had in the river – sunshine on your face, gentle breeze and good casts? Or was it the potential wading snafu, remembering how to make a clinch knot, deciding which fly to use, seeing old faces and friends, or getting in touch with your creative side by whipping a bird’s nest into your leader? Did you take time out to laugh, “get out of your box” and meet someone new? Did you tell a story, reach out and listen to others, or take a quiet moment to be grateful? I think we did all that and then some.

A big THANK YOU to Aggie & Arnie for opening up their hearts and river home to us – especially knowing that Aggie was recovering from shoulder surgery. I can’t wait to see her this summer and give her a huge hug of thanks that doesn’t cause her any pain. The two of them, along with the “boys” were wonderful.

A special note of thanks to Ruthanne. Her assistance with organizing the retreat certainly ensured that the retreat ran smoothly. I’d like to reach out and thank other volunteers who traveled to Lovells to help us out – Bob & Kathy Carey, Amy Adams, and Sue & John Walters.

I’m still having flashbacks of all the food that made it’s way into the river house.
Thanks to everyone who stopped and picked up portions of our grocery list and to everyone else that brought along goodies, baked cookies, and special indulgements. Abiding by Arnie’s rule that everything we brought must make it’s way home, I did my best to leave a few “surprise” in your coolers or cars or coat pockets (yes, I’m the one that did it).

Oh, we can’t forget the potato flinging slingshot. I don’t know if you took a step back and observe how everyone became a wee bit competitive with those distance shots. But, there was some major determination occurring. The photos tell stories for sure. And what did work better? One potato or two? Can you believe we were able to shoot potatoes past that little island upstream?

Having mentioned photos, I received some from Aggie, Carole, Mary and Lori. Thank you ladies! A few are in this email note, some have been placed on the Gallery page of the website and I’ve uploaded a portion of them to a Flickr account so you can log-in and download your favorite or order prints. The link to the Flickr account is located at the end of this email.

Thank you for your participation, enthusiasm and courage to go somewhere new and learn more about fly fishing. Thank you all for your loving, giving spirits. You continue to inspire me to provide more retreat opportunities and enjoy all that life has to offer. It was an honor to share the river with you once more. I look forward to doing it again and again.

Here���s to renewed spirit and renewed hope.

FISH ON!

Cathy Sero

Special Notes: Check out photos on our website’s Gallery Page. Photos on Flickr for the May 2007 Retreat can be viewed here.

Thanks to Nursing Spectrum Magazine and Catherine Spader for writing a great article. Many thanks to Kathryn Navin and Amy Adams for being interviewed and telling their stories.

Every time someone passes along their experiences and stories about Reeling & Healing Midwest, we get stronger. It helps expose new people to the great work our community provides for Survivors and their support networks.

Fish On!

Fish On!

We were guests of Wally & Patrica Bock and the OBTU Board. We had a great time. Thank you so much for your generous invitation and including us at your fund raiser.

At this time, we’d like to extend a special thank you to Wally for his help and support throughout the year with Reeling & Healing Midwest. His impact and contribution have been beneficial to everyone. And a special thanks to his wife, Pat, for letting him go the 6 weekends a year to help at our retreats (we will get her up at a retreat this year).

OBTU, a big thank you for all the good work you do for the streams, rivers, conservation and the fish.

On behalf of OBTU, we would like to thank all the great people and companies who donated the auction and raffle items. Even Ron Barch, a guide and bamboo rod maker from Michigan, attended and donated a few items including a guide trip, to show his support for OBTU.

It’s events like these that help organizations, like Reeling & Healing Midwest, who rely so heavily on their community of supporters to succeed. In addition, it helps introduce us to new people and expand our network. And even if just a few people offer their support or spread the word about us, it helps our programs and most importantly, the individuals who participate.

We appreciate it all.

Fish On!

As some of you know, earlier this week a Call To Action went out asking for volunteers to staff our booth at the MFFC 2007 Fly Expo (info, MFFC Website). The response has been great! As always, our volunteers have come though.

At this point we are at about 90% coverage for the weekend, but could use more help. We have divided the show into time slots (see below). If you are interested, drop us an email at info@reelingandhealingmidwest.org or call 866-237-5725. There are rooms available Friday and Saturday night.

Saturday, March 10th – Show is open between 9 am and 6 pm
- 8:30 am – 12:00 pm, Need 1 Volunteer

Sunday, March 11th – Show is open between 10 am and 4 pm and booth tear-down
- 9:30 am – 1 pm, Need 2 Volunteers
- 1pm – 5 pm, Need 2 Volunteers

Map To Location for those who are attending the show.

Thanks to Ruthanne for coordinating this event. She’s the best around.

See you at the show. Fish On!