First Scranton, PA Project!!

Fly fishing is a wonderful sport that hyper-connects with nature, is super fun, and provides a refreshing oasis in a sometimes crazy world. I started fly fishing as a kid and it has become a lifelong passion that I love to share with others. And what a blast to share fly fishing with the next generation of kids!  –Karl Knepley, Lead Mentor

When we added Scranton to our map, we were not only thrilled because it’s where the show, The Office, is based, but we already knew from our time with Karl that he was going to be a wonderful addition to our lead mentor team. Karl quickly built this project, adding mentors and networking to offer this project to the local foster care community. The team took local foster children to various locations to learn how to fish for multiple species of fish, participate in conservation efforts, tie flies, and have a blast with their mentors. At the end of the project, the kids all got their own gear to keep and a myriad of fun memories from their fly fishing days!

Here’s what Karl reported about their last outing:

We finished our 5th session Saturday and 2 of our Mentors donated 2 fly-tying vices, tools, and feathers to our two brothers that wanted to do more tying. Each mentee got the fly rod and fully equipped chest pack and net. They asked all the Mentors to sign their rod handle and sling bag and we even got hugs!

So I’m sure we all wonder what the kids will do with their new skills and equipment after The Mayfly Project sessions are over. Well we got to sneak a glimpse into just that. This past Saturday morning we finished our 5th and final session, handed out gear, and said goodbye to everyone.  Later that day, the grandfather sent me pictures and a text of what happened later that afternoon. Apparently the grandfather had taken 2 of our mentees who are 14 year olds to a family outing at a park with a lake where they met up with their 2 younger cousins.

He said, “Karl, here are photos of the boys teaching their younger cousins.  You don’t know how much they learned until they had to teach someone else.  They demonstrated what your group taught them very well.  Please forward my thanks again to your group. Great job.”

Thank you, to our Scranton team, foster care communities, donors, and our staff for making this project happen! Picture above drawn by the talented team member, Patricia Knepley! If you would like to support this project for the next season, please donate below!

Donate to Scranton, PA Project