Reeling and Healing Midwest Blog

Twenty-five participants and volunteers are scheduled to fish the famed waters of the Pere Marquette River this weekend in Branch, MI. We’ll be staying at a private river lodge high on a bluff over the river with a thirst to fish for steelhead, brown and rainbow trout. Rumor is a few salmon are still occupying the waters as well. Perhaps we’ll see a few in action.

Survivors from all over the State of Michigan will be in attendance. A few have fished in the fall, but for a majority of the attendees, this is a first-time experience.

The weather forecast is great for fishing - 60 degrees and partly cloudy with the chance of showers.

Keep an eye out for our recap and photos.

FISH ON!

Reeling & Healing Midwest is proud to participate at these event and encourages our participants, volunteers and supporters to join or create a Reeling & Healing Team in their area. Visit the American Cancer Society���s website for more details on these events.

Making Strides Walk Dates Fall 2007

• October 13, 2007
  Twin Cities, Mn
  Rockford, IL
  Detroit, MI
  Flint, MI
  Kalamazoo, MI
  Saginaw, MI
• October 14, 2007
  Merrillville, IN
• October 20, 2007
  Indianapolis, IN
  Ann Arbor, MI
  Grand Rapids, MI
  Jackson, MI
  Lansing, MI
• October 21, 2007
  Aurora, IL
  Chicago, IL
  South Suburbs, IL

Hank���s Fly Fishing Ltd in Lake Orion is sponsoring a team to participate in the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer on Belle Isle.

It is simple to join the Team. You can go online to www.cancer.org/stridesonline and click State of Michigan, then Making Stride of Detroit. Follow the next steps and you���ll be on your way. If you prefer to not register online, contact Hank���s Fly Fishing at 248-693-0500 or visit their store for a registration /contribution form.

The team will meet at Hank���s on October 13th and will travel by charter bus to the walk. The team and bus will return to Hank���s after the walk and celebrate their success with a party at the fly shop for all the walkers and their families. For more information email info@hanksflyfishing.com

The Zonta Club and American Cancer Society are sponsoring the 19th Annual Breast Cancer Recovery Plus Program on Saturday, October 13, 2007 at the Waterfront Conference Center. This program is specifically designed for all women who have had or are currently living with breast cancer.

The event runs from 8:00 am through the afternoon and includes lunch, a fashion show and guest speakers. For more information please call 800-723-0370.

Can you believe that more than 1.3 million new cancer cases are expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year? Those are staggering statistics, but there is hope. Each of us can do something to save lives and help those already fighting this disease. That���s why I���ve decided to take action against cancer by supporting the American Cancer Society Relay For Life�� event in Muskegon, Michigan at Mona Shores High School.

Relay For Life is an overnight event that brings our community together to help support the American Cancer Society and its lifesaving mission to eliminate cancer as a major health problem. It also helps people who are walking this cancer journey to deal with it���s ups and downs and what is available in our community for them.

I invite you to show your support in the ongoing fight against cancer by joining us for this year���s event. Survivors��� Lap and the moving Luminaria Ceremony are on Friday night, June 1. On Saturday, June 2, there will be many activities occuring for you to join in on. We hope to see you there!

JoAnn (6 year survivor-breast cancer)
���Breast Friends��� Team Capt.
www.acsevents.org/relay/muskegon/mi

Greetings all. The following item was left behind at our booth at the MFFC Show. It belongs to someone who attended the July 30th 2006 retreat as it sports a fly tied by our own Alex Brown. If it belongs to you, please drop us an email with the necessary contact information.

Fish On!

Over 20 past participants will attend the 2007 Spring Trout Reunion Retreat in Lovells, MI, this weekend. We will be fishing on the North Branch of the Au Sable River and lodging in a private river home of a special couple who supports Reeling & Healing Midwest and also at Fuller’s North Branch Outing Club.

The women attending are cancer survivors and range in age from 32 to 70 years old. Some have fished once, others have been attending retreats for over six years. No matter their experience level, they are young at heart and come together knowing they’ll have a wonderful time.

The weather forecast for the weekend is partly cloudy with temperatures ranging from 40 degrees in the morning up to the high 60’s and 70’s by mid-day. Excellent conditions for a variety of hatches - assorted caddis, small stone flies and lookout - BWO and Hendricksons should be popping too.

We’ll be armed with plenty of flies thanks to the many tyers and fly fishers who donated over 100 dozen to us for use this season.

The grocery list is completed, equipment is ready to be christened in the river for the first time this year and the enthusiasm of the women who will be attending is going each day.

Follow our retreat experience over the next few days as we blog riverside at our retreat location.

Fish On!

“We whole-heartily support Reeling & Healing Midwest,” stated Mark, a Headwaters Trout Unlimited member for six years.

In 2006, the Headwaters Chapter of Trout Unlimited, which covers the counties of Otsego, Cheboygan, Presque Isle, Alpena and Montmorency raised funds to support Reeling & Healing Midwest retreats and a Reel Recovery retreat in Michigan. A few of their members volunteered, recruited participants and in-kind donations (one even baked pies!).

Complimentary Trout Unlimited memberships were offered to a number of our retreat participants by Headwaters with the hope to assist in continuing their fly fishing education, as well as river restoration and conservation education. Not one retreat participant turned down the offer.

“This year, we dedicated the 50/50 drawing at our Annual Banquet to Reeling & Healing Midwest,” shared John Walters, President of the organization, “with a promise to match the amount with a donation to Reel Recovery as well.” Thanks to the assistance of Sue Walters and Sharon Greanya, the 50/50 drawing was an amazing success. This year’s drawing awarded $765.00 to our upcoming summer retreat programs.

Thank you to all who participated, to the Headwaters TU, to everyone who purchased a 50/50 Raffle ticket and to all of you who believe in our efforts and organization.

Special thanks to John & Sue Walters for championing our cause, their dedicated support, never-ending positive attitudes, and expert volunteerism.

(Click here to learn more about Headwaters TU)

Special congratulations are in order for the supports who stopped by our booth and entered our various contests at the recent fishing shows.

Winners include:

Donna P. - Tiffany Key Chain at the Great Waters Fishing Expo in Chicago, IL.

David L. - Michigan Trout Unlimited Fly Fishing School at Ranch Rudolph in June.

Margaret S. - Tiffany Key Chain at the Michigan Fly Fishing Expo in Warren, MI.

Brian H., Donald D. and Bob F. - All fly tyers who donated flies to our cause and won some fun prizes.

Our good friends and supporters from the Mason-Griffith Founders Chapter of Trout Unlimited were in the booth next to us at the MFFC Expo in early March. There was Mark, and Mark, and Mark (really - there were three of them) and Sam, Dave (back from CO), Paco and more.They were raising monies for their 2007 activities with a wonderful raffle of six different top prize items. With long days of standing on the hard floor, and the drive down from the Grayling area, a number of the gentlemen jumped at the opportunity to indulged themselves 10-20 minutes of chair massage which was available in our booth with our therapist, Laura. She had generously donated her time and a portion of her proceeds to our retreat programs. She was a hit and will be back!

Thanks to everyone else who enjoyed the chair massage - especially the gentlemen from the booth next door!

Fish On!