On Wednesday May 18th, twentyone students from Belle Chasse Academy
set out on an adventure they had been
waiting on for months. Because of their
hard work throughout the year Coach
Alton Heard, Coordinator of the Leadership Class, decided to plan a fishing excursion for the second year and team up
with Wish to Fish Louisiana. The students
were greatly disappointed when the originally scheduled trip was postponed due to
horrible weather in April. The new date in
May proved to be a better choice by far
considering the beautiful morning and
calm water which led to tons of fish being
landed on each of the ten boats that left
the Myrtle Grove Marina that morning.
The students from the Leadership
class and the Leading Ladies organization
enjoyed a great learning experience on
the water made possible by numerous
charter guides and volunteers. Thanks to
Captains Scott Poche, Kory Matherne,
Todd Dufour, Tyler Richardson, Mitch
Rogers, C.T. Williams, Sam Barbara and
volunteers Clarence Luquet, Ronald Egana,
Ashley Ferguson, “Catfish” Watson, Mr.
Bazanac, Suzanne Manieri, and Kaye Florane.
Waiting patiently at the dock Mrs.
Heard, Wish to Fish volunteers, and I organized lunch for everyone and goodies
for the students to take home thanks to
wonderful sponsors such as Raising Canes, Coca-Cola Baton
Rouge, Cabela’s, LA Fish Fry, and
Faux Pas Prints. The stories from
the participants and the smiles are
definitely what I look forward to at
each event. One student explained, “I learned how to fish,
how to identify speckled trout and
redfish, and I had a lot of fun.”
Both groups of students were very
polite and well-mannered, a true
testament to the wonderful job
Coach Heard, Ms. Swazey (principal) and Mrs. Heard are doing with
these young students.
Volunteers of Wish to Fish Louisiana
are planning at least two more trips for
2016. We will take girl scouts kayak
fishing in Grand Isle Louisiana in June.
And in July we will team up with Faux
Pas Prints and offer participants from
the Miracle League a fishing trip out of
Venice Marina right before the Faux
Pas Rodeo. If you would like to volunteer, make a donation, or sponsor a
boat to make it possible for youth to
experience a day on the water that we
often take for granted contact us at
[email protected] or 504-6287282. Wish to Fish is a non-profit
501(c) (3), all donations are tax deductible.