[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14206-14207]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




              RECOGNIZING THE C.A.S.T. FOR KIDS FOUNDATION

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. ADAM SMITH

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 13, 2012

  Mr. SMITH of Washington. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the ``Catch a 
Special Thrill'' (C.A.S.T.) for Kids Foundation, based in Renton, 
Washington. Since 1991, this organization and its founder Jim Owens 
have worked to partner volunteers who love fishing with people with 
special needs for fishing excursions. Today, the foundation hosts three 
different programs; C.A.S.T. for Kids, the Fishing Kids Program, and 
the Take a Warrior Fishing Program.
  The C.A.S.T. for Kids Program held its first event at Banks Lake in 
Eastern Washington in 1992. Today, events are held in 22 States across 
the country. This program helps children with special needs and their 
caretakers experience the outdoors and spend time on the water. This 
program also helps educate the community about the abilities of 
children with special needs and the value of providing this type of 
experience to those young individuals.
  The Fishing Kids Program was established in 1996 to give young people 
living in urban areas exposure to fishing. Expert anglers volunteer to 
teach children fishing techniques, angler ethics, fish identification 
and water safety--giving young people the skills they

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need to begin a lifelong hobby. Kids also leave the program with a rod 
and reel to keep and continue using.
  In 2011, the foundation launched a new program called Take a Warrior 
Fishing. The first event was held at Joint Base Lewis-McChord. This 
program connects transitioning military personnel and their families to 
increase interactions and appreciation for the outdoors. This also 
gives returning servicemembers a therapeutic outlet by spending time on 
the water and in the outdoors.
  Mr. Speaker, it is with great honor that I recognize the work of the 
C.A.S.T. for Kids Foundation. Their creative solutions to helping kids 
and servicemembers by introducing them to the sport of fishing helps a 
wide variety of special needs individuals in our communities.

                          ____________________