This past weekend Reeling & Healing Midwest attended the Oak Brook Chapter of Trout Unlimited’s (http://www.obtu.org/) Annual Banquet. It was held at the Brookfield Zoo in Brookfield, IL. There where auction items galore (C&D won a couple items), food, drink and good company. By all accounts, the event was a great success for OBTU, and we congratulate them.

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!

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!

What a great year it was!From our visits to fly fishing shows to spread the word about our retreat programs, to presentations at local hospitals, cancer centers and support groups, then on to the retreats along the river banks of some wonderful trout waters, we had fun – all year long.

We’re grateful for the enduring and giving support of our awesome volunteers and to the vendors, guides, shops and enthusiastic communities that lent a helping hand, donations, and their time to make our retreat programs the best for the women cancer survivors who attend.

Here’s to the many friendships made along the river banks, the genuine support in our battles, the joys of high-fiving another year of a clean-slate of health, the knowledge that you’re not alone, the ability to step out into a new activity and setting – testing your faith and trust in others again, the thrill of watching a fish rise to your fly, the infectious laughter that heals, the authenticity of others, and the renewal of spirit that leads to the renewal of hope.

Who would have thought we’d have so much to cherish.

Here are some fun retreats stats to enjoy:

• 178 Participants
• 224 Volunteers
• 201 Trout caught and released
• 299 Trout long distance released
• 381 Flies lost (that we know about…)
• 122 Bags of ice used
• 2,497 Waters, sodas and juice
• 27 Fish kissed
• 4 Fisheries biologists – one that was an expert “wader”
• 41 New Trout Unlimited memberships
• 94 Makeovers and Healing Touch Sessions
• 18 Au Sable River body surfers
• 964,800+ Casts made
• 226,576+ Hugs shared
• 566,440+ Smiles brightening the world
• 150 Julie Gates’ Waldorf salads consumed
• Countless and Priceless – All the memories and laughter

And everyday, we’re remembering to Fish On!

As some of you are aware, we have been without a “professional” booth for use at the fishing shows that we attend. Thanks to one of our volunteers (Carolyn Rushlow) a company donated the metal frame for a booth. Now all we needed was something to cover it with and we would be set. Then, along came the great people from DRiFT.

While attending the Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo Chicago last weekend, the DuPage Rivers Fly Tyers (DRiFT) walked by and offered to donate their old booth materials to us. They had recently upgraded their booth and were looking for a home for their old one. Mark Saros was certain that the covering fr om their old booth would fit our frame. He pulled it out of his storage bin and had it was waiting for us in the morning when we arrived at the show. We tested it out and, low and behold, it fit like a glove. And the colors work too.

It will debut at our booth at the Michigan Fly Fishing Expo on March 10th & 11th. Yippee!

DRIFT was one of several groups of fly tyers that tied special flies for our retreat participants to use this year.

Send them a note of thanks to P.O. Box 5028, Wheaton, IL 60189 or check out their website at www.dupageriversflytyers.org.

Thanks DRiFT!

Fish On!

In mid-February the famed Great Waters Fly Fishing Expo held its first show in Chicago! It was a raving success and enjoyed by all who attended and participated.

Tom Helgeson and his seasoned staff held their first Great Waters Expo a few years ago in the Twin Cities and made the decision to expand their efforts and provide another quality show for the local fly fishing community.

Beyond the typical fare and demonstrations, is the goal to educate the community beyond casting and fishing. Conservation education, fly tying, as well as programs for children and women were available for everyone.

One group tying flies (who donated several dozen to our cause) was the Chicago Fly Fishers. Zaty, Richie, Trish and the gang are quite fun and engaging.

Some of the vendors included Orvis Chicago, Feenstra Guide Services from Newaygo, MI, and Trout & Grouse from Northfield, IL.

Thanks to Tom, Reeling & Healing Midwest had a booth and was able to generate awareness of our programs. We had several indivudals stop by to request to attend, to volunter, to donate funds and flies. We received several dozen flies from local tyers that we will be able to share with our retreat participants as well as with Reel Recovery, Project Healing Waters and Fishing Has No Boundaries.

It was a great show. We look forward to attending again next year.

33 Tyers + Donations = Over 1,200 Flies

Read all about the event here