Well this trip started long before we boarded the airplane. As always before we go I spend weeks getting ready I contact Liz and see what is needed most at the time. Then I try to get those things first and weigh them and start packing since every pound is very important and the airlines has strict limits on how much a suite case can weigh.
While I was in the garage looking for some rolls of duck tape that Liz had requested. I spotted some fishing poles in the corner they were not particularly nice poles, just your run of the mill poles that I had gotten many years ago for my son, he had long since stopped using them in lue of growing up and moving on to better equipment. That got me thinking that the boys in the DR might like to have them. I remembered seeing them fish with old found fishing line, rusty hooks and plastic bottles on our last trip. So I cleaned them up lubed the reels and put new line on them. While digging through the fishing gear looking for line I spotted a few ole tackle boxes so cleaned them as well and stocked them up with what I thought would be nice for the boys to have. Packed it all and we were ready for our trip.
We arrived in the Dr and I called Liz and told her we were there and we talk about the week's game plan and I told her about the fishing equipment we had brought. Liz suggested we start out the first day with a little fishing trip with a few of the boys since we did not have to at the school until later in the day. Well morning arrived and Liz, Cathy, Cindy and I set out to Playa Oeste to round up the boys and then we were off to the Malecon. We didn't tell the boys where we were going or what we were going to do they just joyfully jumped in and wanted to do what ever. I think they just love Liz and know where ever she is headed it will be fun. Once we arrived at the Malecon we parked and had the boys grab the boxes out of the back of Cathy's truck. We went to the edge of the ocean and as we opened the boxes the boys just stared with amazement as I put the reels on the poles and put the artificial baits on. I don’t think they had ever seen a fishing pole before and I know for a fact they had never seen artificial baits. I had to have Cathy explain as I showed the boys how to use the poles and cast the baits and make the bait swim through the water. It was some work but they became pretty familiar with how the poles and reels worked. But what fun we had just seeing the smiles and hearing the laughs made it all worthwhile I remember the smile on Cindy's face as she watched and took pictures as the time went by . After an hour or so we had drew a crowd of on lookers. It was time to get to the school, so I grabbed the empty box and started towards the truck, the boys just looked a little bewildered that's when we told them the poles and tackle was theirs to keep. You should have seen the look on their faces as the tears began to flow with exuberance I don't think I have ever seen anyone so happy in my life. The boys weren't the only ones crying I don't think there was a dry eye in the crowd, this was without a doubt one of those few special moments in life that you will stick in your mind forever.
The next day at the school one of the mothers told Cindy her son would not leave the shore from fishing so she had to take his dinner to him as he fished. The rest of the week as the boys saw me in the school working they would hold up their arms up and act like they were fishing with a fishing pole. So I think from now on every time I return I will have to bring more poles down for the rest of the boys. I only had 4 poles to distribute and the need is great after all the boys can fish and help feed their families and if they catch extra they can sell the fish for money to help the family out. And if the boys are busy fishing they are doing something constructive with their time. So if anyone has any fishing gear they no longer need if you get it to me I will get it there and put it to great use. Better yet you could take it yourself and witness what we did. I can promise you will remember it forever !!
Quote " give a hungry man a fish and you will feed him for a day teach the man how to catch the fish and you feed him for life "
Yoandi, Andy, Titi, and Sauri are pictured with Todd.
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