A “reel-y” good day for vets

On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, the CVE Fishing Club and Ellesmere E residents

hosted the 7th Annual “Take a Veteran Fishing Day.”

The fishing program helps veteran men and women take time to heal by teaching them fishing skills and introducing them to activities that can reduce PTSD symptoms. The program promotes eco-therapy, lifetime leisure pursuits, and healthy outdoor activities for veterans that enjoy spending time outdoors.

Over 35 veterans from all military branches of the armed forces and guests attended. Two

veterans who served together coincidentally re-connected after many years. Members

from the Vietnam Veterans of America and Chapter 12 South supported our warriors by

offering informational resources to assist veterans in finding health advice at local

veteran outreach centers.

The day was a tremendous success. Most veterans fished and remained after the barbeque to socialize and swap military experiences. Arlene Frankel, a volunteer from Honor Flight South Florida supplied our veterans with sign-up sheets for a future Honor Flight trip to Washington, DC. We’d like to thank our sponsor, the Ellesmere E Board and Ellesmere A residents for supporting our fishing program and our veterans along with Bill Montgomery, CVE fishing club president, who supplied the bait for the day. We also extended a thank you

to everyone that contributed goodies and especially Cathy K. for grilling and all the

others who volunteered to make this event a success.