'FISHING FOR FUTURES' DUBBED GREAT SUCCESS

More than 30 local students spent much of Saturday on Rainy Lake and while
not all of them returned with fish, they all walked away with some new
friends and a memorable experience.

The Fort Frances OPP organized the first-ever "Fishing for Futures," taking
a group of Grade 6 students who had graduated from the Drug Awareness and
Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) program fishing for a day.

They then wrapped up the event with a barbecue at Sunny Cove Camp and
prizes for the young anglers.

Caelynn Watson and Courtney Armstrong, both students from J.W. Walker
School here, said the highlight of their day was when one of the officers
they were fishing with fell out of the boat while trying to get a minnow
from the bucket.

The pair said they had a great time, though they only caught one fish
between the two of them.

When asked what kind of fish she caught, Armstrong shrugged and said, "Some
kind of fish."

But the purpose of the day was not primarily to catch fish, but rather to
build relationships between youth and local police officers.

Local OPP officers deliver the D.A.R.E. program to students in school, but
have less opportunity to spend time with them outside the classroom.

"We were just thinking of a way we could have the officers and the kids
come together in a positive, informal setting," said Cst. Dereck McLean.

About 22 officers and 30 students hit the water Saturday. The officers
donated the use of their own boats for the day.

Because D.A.R.E. teaches students the importance of having alternatives to
drugs and alcohol, fishing seemed like a good activity to get the
youngsters involved in.

"Fishing is an activity that can by relatively easy to get involved with,"
Cst. McLean said. "All you need is a rod and some bait, and you can fish
almost anywhere."

The day also gave the students an opportunity to get to know local police
officers personally.

"They get to meet the officers and get to know they're regular people,
too," noted Cst. McLean. "It's part of breaking down barriers. Then it's
easier to approach them if they have a problem."

When planning the event, organizers had approached classroom teachers to
get names of students who could benefit most from the experience.

One of those students was Daniel Murray from St. Francis School.

"It was his first time in a boat fishing," said his mother, Debbie. "It was
just wonderful for him."

Murray said her son was awake most of the night before in anticipation. "He
was really excited," she remarked.

Daniel Murray did well for his first time out; he and fishing partner Keira
Allan caught three northerns during the day to win the prize for Most Northern.

The Longest Fish prize went to Trelawney Erwin and Summer Jim, with 28
inches. The Most Fish prize went to Kyle Sinninghe, Joseph Kellar, and
Tucker Johnson, who caught 34 fish altogether.

The Least Fish prize went to Jessica Liggins and Kelsey Dillon.

"It's been really positive. Everybody's had a really good time," said Cst.
Caroline Spencer.

Cst. McLean said great support from local businesses helped make "Fishing
for Futures" a success. Besides the prizes, each student also received a
fishing rod and a hat, courtesy of Canadian Tire.

Other sponsors included the local Substance Abuse Prevention Team, the
Great Bear (which donated all the bait), M&M Meats (which donated all the
food for the barbecue), Canada Safeway (which donated the food for lunches
on the lake), the Fort Frances Kiwanis Club (which donated the use of Sunny
Cove Camp).

Kiwanis members also volunteered to do the cooking.

"I want to give a big thanks to the guys--some actually took time off to
fish and other officers are covering so they could fish," Cst. McLean said.

He also noted the OPP office staff--Tracy Coran, Bonnie Hoskins, and Barb
Harris--prepared all the lunches with the food donated from Safeway.

"We'd still be making lunches if it wasn't for them," he said.

Giordan Zin, a co-op student, also was an integral part of the planning.

The officers who participated included retired OPP officers, OPP auxiliary
members, retired Fort Frances Police officers, OPP cadets, retired RCMP,
customs officers, and members of the Fort Frances Fire Department.

Cst. McLean said he hopes "Fishing for Futures" can become an annual event
here.