a big thanks for all boaters at ARM!!!!

hey guys,

I wanted to thank you all for showing up on Friday. I know that alot of us had to take the day off, or stay awake for them kids. it was a very successful day and we made alot of smiles and memories. I can’t wait to see some pictures from this year!! also guys, well for those who are married or serious with someone. make sure you thank them as well! i know it isn’t easy to make an event like this go without some sacrificeses. I am thinking that our ladies in our lives deserve a huge thanks for sacrificing for us so we can do this. thanks boaters and also the boaters wives.

thanks again to the crew that worked to get all of the poles, tackle, and the grounds set up. also I want to thank Everets for the use of the grounds. Dominoes for the pizzas and also kemps for the ice cream sandwiches.

thanks

shane

So next year are you going to help us put the tents up or are you going to supervise again??? Just wondering?

I had a great time and loved the fishing stories from the kids it was great. It was nice to hear them on how they “out fished the pros”

Shane,

I had a blast once again this year! A BIG thanks go out to you and Steve Greene for putting this event together with BB/BS. Thanks to Big Brother/Big Sisters group from Wisconsin, the Twin Cities and the St. Cloud, Mn group. You made the event happen and I was honored to be a part of it. We caught alot of fish and the kids had smiles on their faces all day long!

Yes – THANK YOU to all of you that worked so hard to put it together. This was my first experience with it, and WOW!! What a super event. I am so glad John invited me along (and allowed me to outfish him…..again ). It was well worth the day off (as if that was ever in question. Where’s that eye-rolling smilie when you need him?)

Way to go guys – those kids’ smiles and all their excitement was priceless.

Oh, and it was fun meeting you all!!

well you know, i couldn’t afford to help out with that physical stuff, i might break a nail. and you know being the head of the corn husker gang, I don’t have to work hard!!!!

I wonder what doggie is doing????

thanks again guys for the great smiles and laughs for them kids.

shane

Hey walleye-brat,
Buckshots best catch? I told him months ago to practice cpr (catch, picture, realese) . Dont’t forget without jb’s expert guide service you would have gotten nothing but that sheep head . Any way welcome to the site. We need to get together for dinner and a drink. Not me and you the four of us .

Walleye-brat….you outfishing me????? If I don’t remember it…..it didn’t happen.
Welcome to the site.

Once again this year it was a great event and I am glad Heidi and I got to be part of it.
John

Yeah, well JB obviously knows a keeper when he sees one…… must come from being such an expert.

And I will never deny that he’s directly responsible for my fishing success…… I just wish he could come up with a few more live demonstrations for me…

Thanks for the welcome.

Shane,

THANK YOU!!!! It was a great event!! The time and NRG that you must have put into planning and keeping things together sould be commended.

It was the first time that I was able to be a part of it and I am glad I could join the ranks. The kids were great, well behaved, and appreciative in many ways, which made the event a success.

I was also glad to share a boat with SteveO since I don’t have one, I had a great time with him and helping out, even when we got stuck in the sand bar. I just wish that the little we had cught more but the big we had caught a huge variety of fish so at least there were fish in the boat.

I hope that I can help out in the future too!

I just wish we didn’t have to beg people up to the last week to help out. The number of boaters was slow to grow and though we had enough this year I hope that others will see what this event means to these kids. Then next year there will be extra boaters available or at least the list could be full a month in advance.

Great event, great people, great times!!!!

hey THFlounder,

don’t forget that steve also had a huge part in this event as did many others. I am only a small cog in the big wheel. I am glad that you where able to make it and also glad that you want to continue to help out with this event in the future. I am also a recruiter for new volunteers for the BB/BS organization. I know that people like to come and help at this event, but what about doing it year round and taking that same kid fishing all of the time. just a thought, if you have any questions feel free to contact me and I will do my best to answere them.

shane

To follow up on what Shane said this could be a rewarding experience year around. There are many kids in all sizes of communities waiting for a BB/BS. When you saw how excited these kids where try to imagine the high hopes a kid would have waiting to be matched up with a big and then not getting matched because there aren’t enough big volunters. To be a part of a program like this it only takes a couple of hours per week. Think of a 10 year old boy that has a mother, grandmother, school teacher, baby sitter (maybe) etc. These are all female and so how does he get any male mentering and guidance. So much for the sales pitch but please do give it some thought.

PS. I am not putting down females in the above mentioning but merely pointing who is in a young boys life. I cannot speak for the young girls in the program.

It was an honor to be part of this great event. I understand what you are saying about volunteering the time for a child year round. I’ve thought about it many times. Could you post a website where people like myself could get more info??

Here is a link to the St. Cloud site. It will get you started. My wife and are are looking into this also. Hope to get more involved very soon. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota

also if you need to have any questions answered, feel free to PM me as well. I have been with my little for 5 years. I would be glad to share stories and even answere the questions about how to make time for this little while having a family. I will tell you, my little Joe is part of my family. both of my boys know him and he is always here at the house. It is nice to have him come and hang out and eat dinner with us sometimes. I would love to even meet people, get you more information. if you PM your address. I will have a packet sent out to you with contact information. if you are even thinking about wanting to do something like this, I encourage you to make it a yes decision. You will not be sorry in that decision, and you will not be able to stop with that little until he is 18 and out of the program.

thanks

shane