Taking At-Risk Kids Fishing

For most of the foster kids, the ocean outing was their big trip of the summerhttps://t.co/AR9eiFjAfl

— NBC Los Angeles (@NBCLA) July 17, 2017

Great story by NBC 4 in Los Angeles on the L.A. Rod and Reel Club getting some less fortunate kids out on the water for a day of fishing.

Here’s more from NBC Los Angeles reporter John Cádiz Klemack:

Despite living close to the beach, many low-income and foster youth in Southern California have never been fishing — let alone seen the ocean.

But one Los Angeles-based nonprofit is changing that one trip at a time. For the last 50 years, the Los Angeles Rod and Reel Club has taken about 150 at-risk youth, mostly foster kids, from Los Angeles County, Orange County and the High Desert on an annual deep-sea fishing expedition.

On this year’s trip on July 10, 7-year-old Odyssey Valdez caught her first fish off the coast of Long Beach and filled the boat with infectious laughter.

“It builds lasting memories, she’ll have this forever,” said the girl’s mom, Aida Valdez. “I’m very grateful for that.”

Great work, L.A. Rod and Reel Club!