THUNDER BAY – A group of Thunder Bay kids with special needs were out catching salmon on Lake Superior for the seventeenth time in as many years on Wednesday.
Fourteen fish were caught in total, some were released, and the rest were cleaned and brought home for dinner for the kids who all receive care at George Jeffrey Children’s Centre and have a wide range of different abilities. 8-year-old Alia had the biggest catch and brought home a new rod.
"Alia had a lot of fun, she was just giggling, watching the water, water passing, and she was just so happy," said Sajida Goriya, Alia’s mother.
The centre's Recreation and Leisure Facilitator Stacey Collie, says it's "really awesome" to have an inclusive event to bring the kids to.
"They were all very excited. I've had one family that's been asking me for at least a month when it's going to happen,” said Collie. “And they were all really eager, even at 8:30 this morning."
Collie credits the boat captains and the Thunder Bay Salmon Association for making the fishing trip accessible for the kids, including two kids who use wheelchairs. Bob Speer is the event organizer with the Salmon Association, he's been organizing the event since the beginning.
"I have a special needs granddaughter, oh she's perfect,” he said. “And she still needs lots of help and everything, and that's how I got involved."
Speer says the captains, who volunteer their time and their boats, all agreed to help out as soon as he asked.
"Boaters, they're just great people,” he said. “The salmon club, they're just great people. They put salmon in all the time so these kids can catch something."
He also thanks the city and the marina for making it easy to get the permits for the event.
Fourteen kids were out fishing today, ages 6 to 17. Not everybody caught a fish, but everybody had a good time.
