It was hard not to notice the 8-year-old boy Brooke across the street who stormed in and out of his own house. He did it so often that a neighbor, Chris, wondered what was going on in his life. So Chris asked him.
"He told me that he didn't have a father, "says Chris, now 58, "and I realized there might be something I could do for him. "
That something was fishing, and Chris's father taught him how to fish. "Fishing always brought me peace and it taught me how to be patient. When you're on the water, you can forget about your problems and just appreciate the moment, "Chris said.
One Saturday afternoon on the water led to another, and soon he was teaching other kids in their neighborhood, Lakeland, Florida, how to fix a line, hold a pole, and roll in a big catch. That was 16 years ago.
Since then, Chris has taken groups of kids out almost every weekend to fish. Then, in 2018 he started the nonprofit Take a Kid Fishing Inc. He and a small group of volunteers have introduced more than 2, 500 kids—most without fathers around—to the calming peace found on the water and the excitement of catching a fish
One of those kids was Jayden, who struggled emotionally when his father died in a car accident in January 2020.
"He was really close to his dad, "says Jayden's mother, Terra." And with two younger sisters, he felt he needed to take over the man-of-the-house role. He was trying to be strong for everyone and didn't show his emotion. I was wondering what to do to help him, and then I learned about Take a Kid Fishing Inc."
Jayden, now 13, has become a devoted fisherman and credits Chris with helping him mature.
"There's nothing like feeling that first tug(猛拉)on the line and seeing a kid light up with a smile, " Chris says. "I feel lucky to witness that every weekend. "