Many friends of Live Like Jack Fund have asked how they can help the organization.  Here is a great opportunity:  Please volunteer to work at the Family & Youth Casting Call (FYCC) that will be held on May 2nd and 3rd, 2014 at Fletcher’s Boat House in Washington DC.   The Live Like Jack Fund is a proud sponsor of this event.  Here is the link for volunteers to register. http://www.familyandyouthcastingcall.com/volunteers/volunteer-registration

FYCC is a fun family and youth fishing event that aims to “set the hook” for children to learn about nature and fishing in the Washington, DC area.   Volunteers are needed for both Friday and Saturday, but especially Friday when area schools will bring several hundred students to the event.  This hands-on event will be a perfect way to live the mission of the Live Like Jack Fund, and on one of Jack’s favorite stretches of the river.

During this action-packed two-day event, partners will provide all the tools and training necessary for youth to catch fish in the C&O Canal. Volunteer instructors will teach safety and basic fishing techniques and our sponsors will supply the bait and tackle for the day’s event. For this event, a portion of the C&O Canal will be stocked with native fish and all children will have the opportunity to catch fish.

When not fishing on the canal, children will complete a series of hands-on activities to earn their National Park Service Junior Ranger Badge. Learning stations set up around the facility will teach fly-tying, water quality testing, bug identification and more. There will also be plenty to do for the little ones including fish art, touch tanks and scavenger hunts.

Volunteers help with a variety of activities including: fish printing (an arts and crafts activity), knot tying, practice casting, setting up and detangling fishing rods, helping kids bait their hooks and fish on the canal and basic event set up and clean up (mostly moving tables). All volunteers are fed breakfast and lunch both days and receive a Family & Youth Casting Call t shirt.

In the morning, the organizers teach the volunteers how to use the fishing equipment and cast properly so that they can help the kids when they arrive. FYCC allows the volunteers to select what activity stations they feel most comfortable helping with, but do provide the casting instruction for everyone so that everybody knows the basics of casting and safe angling.

Once again, here is the link for volunteers to register. http://www.familyandyouthcastingcall.com/volunteers/volunteer-registration

“We would be hard-pressed to find an event that more clearly matches the mission of the Live Like Jack Fund than the FYCC.  Jack was impressed and inspired by this event, and he enjoyed attending it.  He spent a great deal of time and enthusiasm fishing the Potomac; enjoying the river was usually his first choice for any bits of free time he had.  He often walked down before or after work to kayak, canoe, and fish.  He joked that he wanted to be the best fisherman on the Potomac, and he was constantly trying to learn more about the river by reading books, articles, and talking to others who were passionate about it.  If he saw other fishermen along the river or canal, he always stopped and talk to them about what they were catching; he was eager to learn from then and to share in the joy of their experience.  He loved the camaraderie among fishermen and nature lovers.   This stretch of river brought Jack so much joy, and he loved sharing it with his friends and family.  Jack had already started teaching our young son to fish, and was looking forward to teaching him everything he could about fishing, about the wildlife, and the unique ecosystems of this river.  I know Jack would be so glad that we are supporting FYCC in his honor.” – Lauren Bauer

During this action-packed event, partners will provide all the tools and training necessary for youth to catch fish in the C&O Canal. Volunteer instructors will teach safety and basic fishing techniques and our sponsors will supply the bait and tackle for the day’s event. For this event, a portion of the C&O Canal will be stocked with native fish and all children will have the opportunity to catch fish.

When not fishing on the canal, children will complete a series of hands-on activities to earn their National Park Service Junior Ranger Badge. Learning stations set up around the facility will teach fly-tying, water quality testing, bug identification and more. There will also be plenty to do for the little ones including fish art, touch tanks and scavenger hunts.

FYCC began in 2007 as an add-on public event to supplement the American Fly Fishing Tackle Trade Association’s (AFFTA) National Casting Call (NCC). The NCC was established to engage members of the US Congress about the importance of fisheries conservation and highlight the work of National Fish Habitat Action Plan and work of Jim Range’s Teddy Roosevelt Conservation Partnership.  While FYCC became a celebrated success under the care of AFFTA, the event has grown beyond AFFTA’s mission to include spin and fly fishing techniques and general outdoor and conservation education.

Today, FYCC has expanded to include one day dedicated to programming for 300+ local DC and Maryland grade school students and one day of free, public fishing and educational activities for local families.  A group of conservation and fishing industry partners and dedicated individuals have come together to ensure the future success and growth of FYCC – working  together to get kids outside, active, and hooked on fishing to foster a healthy, informed, natural resource conservation minded population.

In 2013, the event taught over 700 kids how to fish, engaged them in the environment and gave them tools to be better stewards of our natural resources.   FYCC put more rods in hands than all other DC youth fishing events combined and is likely the biggest, hosted, free fishing event on the East Coast and perhaps the US.

Here are two quotes that neatly summarize the participant experience for each day:

“My kids have always wanted to go fishing, but I have been too intimidated by the learning curve to take them out. Now I have the confidence to take them fishing anywhere.”

“What an experience for our kids!  They were beaming on the ride home to Frederick.  As I moved down the bus aisle on our way home, every single student wanted to talk to me about the day.  I continue to marvel at all the volunteers who work so hard for our kids.  Thank you so very much for a fantastic day…we’ll never forget it!” Andrea Maruskin, Teacher of the Year, Monocacy Middle School”

FYCC : School Program – Friday, May 2nd, 2014, 9am to 3pm

The FYCC: School Program is designed to provide an outdoor educational experience for middle school children.  The target for 2014 is to bring in 200 students from DC and Maryland schools.  Schools are scheduled to arrive at staggered times and move through a set curriculum with educators and mentors to teach and assist them.  Students will also have a 30 minute lunch period scheduled at an appropriate lunch time between the educational activities.

Casting and safety lesson (15 minutes)

Fishing on the C&O Canal (1 hour)

Environscape watershed activity (30 minutes)

Macroinvertibrates identification activity (30 minutes)

Fly-casting and fish identification activity (30 minutes)

Natural resource and fisheries conservation activities (30 minutes)

FYCC: Public Program – Saturday, May 3rd, 2014 11am to 4pm

On Saturday, FYCC is open to the public.  Participating youth and their families will have access to the same fun educational opportunities as students.  Again, educators and mentors will be present to facilitate an enjoyable learning experience for the whole family.

In addition, the National Park Service will run a Junior Ranger Badge program and the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin will run an education activity about the history, restoration and conservation of shad in the Potomac River, including shad planking and tasting.  Both of these additional programs have proved extremely successful in the past.

To learn more about FYCC, please visit: http://www.familyandyouthcastingcall.com

“Jack was so honored to serve on the WILL Board of Directors and he was enthusiastic about the future of WILL.  He was passionate about WILL’s mission, and he valued the opportunity to work with Steve Abraham and the WILL Board of Directors.  Jack was looking forward to participating in WILL’s growth and expansion.  He often talked about how he was excited to help make a difference through WILL.  Therefore, I am thrilled that the very first grant the Live Like Jack Fund is making is going to WILL.”   -Lauren Bauer

The vision for Wilderness Leadership & Learning (WILL) was conceived by founder and President Steve Abraham during a 2001 National Outdoor Leadership School program.  Inspired by his own experience, Steve left his law practice in 2003 to create and lead a program to enhance the educational, leadership and life skills of at-risk DC high school youth.

The WILL curriculum focuses on the following four pillars:

• Leadership & Self-Empowerment. WILL helps teens push beyond perceived limitations and enhances individual leadership potential, self-esteem, self-reliance, and confidence.

• B. Critical Life Skills Development. WILL develops critical life skills, which are under-emphasized or not taught in school, such as understanding and learning techniques for SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Time Bound) goal setting, and action plans to achieve one’s goals, providing knowledge and tools to make healthy nutrition decisions, accountability for behavior, financial literacy, and communication skills.

• C. Environmental Awareness & Stewardship. WILL helps teens become aware of the world around them and to be better stewards of the environment.

• D. Cultural Awareness & Appreciation. WILL youth learn to appreciate, respect and be receptive to diverse races, religions, genders, cultures, and perspectives.

WILL’s curriculum is experiential; students learn by doing, and the doing often takes place in the outdoors through, hiking, canoeing, ropes courses, and many other outdoor experiences.

“Every youth who has graduated from WILL has graduated from high school or is on track to graduate. Based on the analysis of the Pre-and Post-WILL surveys completed by 2011-2012 WILL participants, there was statistically significant positive knowledge acquisition in nutrition and environmental awareness and stewardship, and in attitudes and perceptions about themselves, including willingness to take responsibility for their actions, willingness to try new and challenging things, to listen to and work with others to solve problems, to accept different points of view, and in personal feelings of pride. Additionally, 80% of the youth reported that they loved or liked the activities in which they participated and 100% reported learning something new.” – Steve Abraham, WILL Founder and President.

In May of 2012, WILL was chosen for inclusion in the 2012-2013 Catalogue for Philanthropy as one of the finest community-based nonprofits in the Greater Washington region. The Catalogue’s goal is to build networks of engaged donors and great nonprofits who will make a difference. It also provides charities with a stamp of approval that tells donors they can invest with confidence because the Catalogue vets its family of nonprofits with great care.

“Charities were selected for excellence, cost-effectiveness, and impact. These are certainly among the best community-based nonprofits in the Washington region.” – Barbara Harman, President and Editor of the Catalogue for Philanthropy: Greater Washington

To learn more about WILL, please visit the website at www.will-lead.org.

The Live Like Jack Fund is a Donor Advised Fund through the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region.  The Fund seeks to honor the memory of John Lawrence Bauer (1974-2012) by making grants to 501c3 organizations that motivate kids to become passionate about the outdoors.  To learn more about the Fund, please visit the website at www.livelikejack.org.