Roanoke, Virginia Project

“Life’s moments may fly by,

but their impact can be enduring.

The Mayfly Project, Roanoke VA

thank you guys for such a wonderful experience,

I’m sad to leave but happy that I learned new stuff. ♥️”

Foster Child

The Mayfly Project Mentee

Project Location

Roanoke, Virginia

 

Year Project Founded

2023

Project Lead Mentor

Scott and Helen Barrier

 

Mentors on this team

19

Children mentored to date

23

 

Children to mentor in 2026

11

Local foster care partners

Currently searching for local foster care connections and programs.

Local companies that support this project

She’s A Catch Earrings

CopperHill Troutfitters

Roanoke Angler Fly Shop & Fishing Guide Service

Apply to Mentor

For more questions about this project,
contact Scott Barrier at:
sbthemayflyproject@gmail.com

Mentor Application

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Fly fishing either alone or with a companion, allows an individual to be outside and enjoy the beauty of nature, experience peace and calm, and offers a unique challenge “in the moment” each and every time. This is what I believe the Mayfly Project offers everyone that is involved and participating.

Scott Barrier, Lead Mentor

Roanoke, Virginia Project

Project Mentors

Scott Barrier, Lead Mentor

Scott is a Virginia native and has been fly-fishing for 40+ years and currently resides in Bent Mountain, VA. He has been fortunate to fish much of South West Virginia, the Rocky Mountain West and Alaska over those many years. He is currently involved with Project Healing Waters for Veterans as a guide and SW Virginia Deputy Regional Program Coordinator. He has raised 4 children and currently enjoys 6 grandchildren teaching each of them to fish, enjoy and respect nature. He is very passionate about passing on his love for the outdoors and fishing. Scott looks forward to sharing those passions with young people in his role as lead mentor for the Roanoke Virginia Mayfly Project.

Helen Barrier, Lead Mentor

Helen resides on Bent Mountain, VA and enjoys all activities outdoors. She is beyond excited to share the quietude of this mountain with youth who desperately need it. Helen has a professional background in supporting students with disabilities at T/TAC at Virginia Tech for twenty years, so serving in the co-lead role for The Mayfly Roanoke Project is a great fit. She and Scott have raised 4 children and cherish sharing time in the outdoors with their 6 grandchildren. Helen finds energy and purpose in collaborative leadership within the community and is looking forward to supporting youth as they learn a lifelong sport, that people truly care about them, and that nature heals.

Shane Shubert, Mentor
I was born and raised in SW Virginia, I was fishing before I could walk. I picked up my first fly rod when I was around 10 years old. I love to be outdoors hiking, camping and always fishing. Spending many many years in the military gave me the opportunity to fish all over the world. I have been fortunate to land many different species of fish with a fly rod. I love to tie my own flies. To me it is one of the most relaxing things that I can do other than being in the water. I am a Sports Performance Coach, High School Soccer Coach and Personal Trainer. Working with kids is something I do daily and having the opportunity to work with foster children and teach them the love of fly fishing and conservation is a dream come true.
Mike Purdue, Mentor
A Virginia native, I grew up in the outdoors hunting, fishing, and trapping. I started dabbling in fly fishing in my pre-teen years catching bass and blue gills in ponds using a popping bug. Just before i retired, i started getting serious about it. I started tying my own flies and hitting the streams whenever i could. Some say that fly fishing is allot of work with all that back and forth with the rod and holding handfuls of line. I say nonsense! I have found it to be very therapeutic and when you make that perfect cast, the fly hits the water so soft that it doesn’t make a ripple, then BANG! That trout comes right out of the water with it. That is as pure as it gets for the outdoorsman..
Mark Colwell, Mentor
Mark is a local to the Blue Ridge mountains of SW Virginia and pretty much lives, breaths, and sleeps, either fly fishing or thinking about it. He is a volunteer guide with Project Healing Waters helping fellow disabled Veterans, and he owes his total immersion and passion for this sport to this organization. He has a beautiful wife and 2 kids that he considers to be the most amazing and undeserved blessing ever bestowed on him. Mark is eager to participate in The Mayfly Project and to share this beautiful pastime with any kid who’s interested.
Kim Shubert, Mentor
I was born and raised in Roanoke, VA. I loved fishing growing up and during the pandemic, about 4 years ago, my husband introduced me to fly fishing. I had admired the sport since watching A River Runs Through It and was so tickled to begin to learn. I love doing anything outdoors! In my younger years before I got into insurance, I taught music to preschoolers and then became a preschool teacher. Outside of working full time for an insurance agency, I am a certified group fitness instructor which has included education in youth fitness. I enjoy working with youth and feel that getting them interested in fly fishing at a young age and enjoying the outdoors is so beneficial for them. I am so excited for this opportunity to make a difference in the lives of foster children.
Ann Kovats, Mentor

I was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA and my family taught me the love of the outdoors and the water. I’ve lived in Southwest Virginia for 32 years, with the last 16 years in Bent Mountain. We have a son who is in college, a daughter who is a senior in high school and my husband works in Roanoke. I spend my time volunteering a different organizations. One of the organizations that I volunteer for supports children in the foster care system. I have a strong passion to support children in the foster care system, which is why I wanted to be a mentor in the Mayfly Project.
I’m looking forward to touching the lives of several foster care children and sharing my love for the water and outdoors with them.

Jim Cook, Mentor
I’m Jim Cook and I’ve always been a water person. I began fishing shortly after learning to walk. I started fly fishing when I was 10 and tying when I was 13. I was born and raised in Staunton, Va and moved to Roanoke to work for American Electric Power after graduating from Virginia Tech as an electrical engineer. Living in the Roanoke area allowed ready access to my beloved Jackson River as well as the the James, New and other area rivers. After thirty nine years with AEP, I am retired and have the opportunity to pursue my passions of fishing, hunting and wildlife management. One of my retirement goals is to teach kids to fish who don’t have that opportunity. I look forward to sharing my love of the sport with the next generation.
Danny MacGibbon, Mentor
I grew up all over the US; Learning to bass fish in Texas and spending the summers fishing the lakes of New Hampshire with my grandpa. When we moved to Virginia my senior year of high school, I picked up fly fishing as a way to cope with the move. Over the last 20 years I have slowly become more and more passionate about fly fishing. I now reside in Roanoke with my wife and two young kids. I love to be outside, and I fill my free time fishing or talking about fishing. I understand first-hand the therapeutic value of fly fishing and look forward to participating as a mentor!
Kevin Henesy, Mentor
Kevin is a Texas native and moved to Roanoke, Virginia in 2002, where his love of the outdoors and nature grew. Kevin has always shared his passion for the outdoors with his wife and two children. He began fly fishing about 10 years ago as a member of Project Healing Waters. For Kevin, his love of fly fishing emanates from the undeniable peace and tranquility he finds in the currents of a wide river or babbling brook. Kevin is excited to be a mentor and honored to share his passion of the outdoors and fly fishing with foster children.
Ned Hooper, Mentor
Dr. Hooper, a retired orthopedic hand surgeon, comes to the Mayfly Project with decades of fly fishing experience. He has been a fly fishing guide for Project Healing Waters, a non-profit fishing organization dedicated to the health and wellbeing of our military veterans. He is excited to work with our youth and looks forward to getting the next generation hooked on fly fishing!
Tom Roe, Mentor
A Ohio native, but has lived in the beautiful countryside of S.W. Virginia since the mid- 1980’s. Enjoys the outdoors, all types of fishing and hiking. With a heart to serve others, he assists with other great programs like Healing Waters, and looks forward to growing in his new role as a mentor for the Roanoke Valley Mayfly Project.
Sarah Rice, Mentor
With deep roots in Southwest Virginia, Sarah spent her childhood fishing local rivers with her father and a veteran neighbor. Her passion for fly fishing grew when she worked at a fly shop in high school, leading her to join the Virginia Tech Fly Fishing Club, where she became one of the few women in the group. Sarah also volunteers with Healing Waters in Roanoke, giving back to the community that has nurtured her growth as an angler. A recent graduate of Virginia Tech, she is excited to continue connecting with the NRV community as a mentor for The Mayfly Project in Roanoke.
William Booth, Mentor
Originally from Franklin County Virginia, Will grew up immersed in the outdoors, whether that was hunting his families farm or fishing across multiple bodies of water. First picking up a fly rod on vacation to Montana, Will has been fly fishing for around 10 years. Primarily self taught, he has taken a nearly annual trip to fish in Wyoming or Idaho, with the pursuit of the Wyoming Cutt Slam in mind. A 2021 graduate of Virginia Tech, he has mixed his college degree and love for the outdoors into a current role at Orvis as a financial analyst. With a passion for others as well as the outdoors, he is excited to step into a mentor role with the Roanoke Mayfly Project.
Carly Cook, Mentor
As a Botetourt County native, Carly grew up spending time outdoors with her family and learning how to fish with her dad. She has always felt a calling to educate children and currently is a first grade teacher. With a trip to Montana on the horizon, she decided to learn how to fly fish and found joy in this hobby. As someone who is still new to the sport, she understands the challenges as well as the healing benefits that accompany it. She is excited to begin this next chapter as a mentor with the Mayfly Project!
Vic Bradley, Mentor
As a child growing up in Southwest Virginia I was fortunate to have a father who was a passionate fisherman and he got me started early slinging salmon eggs for trout on opening day, and fishing artificial lures for bass at a local lake in his V-hull Starcraft. In the ’90s, when the fly fishing craze swept the nation he and I jumped in head first and I’ve never looked back. I find immense pleasure in the tactics and strategy involved with fly fishing, but most of all, I value the friendships built on the water and the beautiful places that fishing can take you. I’m excited to join TMP to share the wonderful world of fly fishing and all of its benefits with foster children.
Josh Hodges, Mentor

Growing up across the Appalachian mountains, second eldest of eight siblings, Josh spent the majority of their early life outdoors– dragging their younger siblings along. From wading through mountain streams in the New River Valley, backpacking the southern half of the Appalachian Trail, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout, and settling down in Roanoke– spending time outside has not only shaped who Josh is, but given them rest and a place of solitude. Josh started fly fishing in March of 2024 and began fly tying shortly after; in addition to woodworking, gardening, cooking, and their various other outdoor-related ventures. They hope to help kids find escape and relaxation in the outdoors through fly fishing!

David Kagey, Mentor

David grew up Roanoke and has been fishing with his father ever since he can remember. Upon moving back to Roanoke in 2003, David became immersed in fly fishing and has fished the waters of Virginia, Tennessee and the Rocky Mountain West. He is involved with Project Healing Waters for Veterans as a guide and enjoys sharing his love for flyfishing and fly tying. He loves the places where flyfishing has taken him but mostly the friends and relationships he has developed over the years through flyfishing. David greatly looks forward to sharing his passion for flyfishing and the outdoors with all involved with the Mayfly Project.

Adam Moseley, Mentor
Adam started fishing during college while working as a mountaineering guide in CO and WY. In addition to The Mayfly Project, he is a guide and participant with Project Healing Waters, having spent 23 years in the Navy, where he continues to serve in the reserves. Adam is fortunate that his wife and three excellent children support the fishing obsession. His day job is in the legal system, where he regularly witnesses the strength, resilience and struggles of kids in foster care. Adam is not only excited but feels privileged to come along side these kids as they learn to fish.