Day on the lake shows special needs kids their true capabilities

For most kids, catching their first fish is a thrill, but
for Ayman King it was something far greater.

“I was so excited, I am a fish hunter!” exclaimed the
Renton 12-year-old who has Down Syndrome.

The opportunity to get out on Lake Washington and catch
his first fish came courtesy of C.A.S.T For Kids, a
Renton-based nonprofit dedicated to getting young people
with special needs or illnesses and their families into
fishing.

The acronym stands for “catch a special thrill,” and
that’s exactly what it was for both Ayman and his father
Sean.

“You could just see his face light up and he shouted ‘I
got one’ and he was able to reel one in all by himself. I
kind of get goose bumps just talking about it because he
was so excited and proud,” Sean said.

The organization is the inspiration of local fishing
enthusiast Jim Owens, who wanted to share his passion and
make a difference at the same time.

“It’s an incredibly big deal. You can imagine their
friends and their siblings are taking off and they’re
going out and playing little league or football or
whatever, and a lot of these kids can’t do that. They
get left behind. So that’s what we’re here for, is to
give them the opportunity,” said Owens.

What started as a one-time event with a small handful of
volunteers willing to take kids out for an afternoon, has
grown into a wildly popular national program. At each
event, the organization gives the kids their own fishing
pole and other gear, and a volunteer with a boat takes
them and their families out on the water.

“The kids that we take out run the gamut from cerebral
palsy to cancer, so that’s why we do it,” said Owens. “If
you want to see a grown man cry, just come to one of our
events when they take these kids out.”

But according to Owens, there are far more kids that want
to go fishing. And a key part of the program is letting
each family keep all the gear. With the organization
relying almost exclusively on donations, Owens is pleading
for help.

“There are so many kids out there that we’d like to touch
and we just don’t have the funding to do it,” he said.

The organization is also expanding its offerings,
launching a new program to take wounded soldiers and their
families fishing. The second annual ‘Take a Warrior
Fishing’ event is slated for Saturday, July 14 at Joint
Base Lewis-McChord.

But the focus for Owens will always be on the kids.

“A lot of times, we’re not only showing the child what
they’re capable of but we’re showing their parents,” he
said.

Ayman’s dad Sean couldn’t be more appreciative.

“We’re always trying to give our kids with special needs a
stronger sense of self esteem. And when you can offer an
experience like this, where they can feel that pride and
excitement and accomplishment they can take with them
later, then it really helps with that.”

For Ayman, there was even an added bonus. The avid cook
ended up catching over a dozen perch and bass during his
day on the lake.

“We had a filet meal, a fish fry. It was so cool!” he
beamed.