Ryan McDaniel Paradise
Give a man a fish and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he’ll eat for a lifetime. This well-known phrase rings true to those who’ve spent personal time picking up skills that improve their mood, personal well-being and more. Teaching children with special needs to fish, as Catch A Special Thrill (C.A.S.T.) for Kids does all across the U.S., is an effort that Ryan McDaniel of Paradise, California wants more mentors to be aware of. At a recent C.A.S.T. for Kids event at Lake Oroville in Oroville, California, participants of all ages and walks of life learned what it means to be freed from daily struggles and achieve real accomplishments. Ask Ryan McDaniel from Paradise and he’ll tell you just how encouraging it is to see the efforts of this 501(c)3 non-profit in action.
According to the official website for C.A.S.T. for Kids, the mission here is to “provide a refreshing break” to children aged 6 to 18 “from their daily challenges.” Moreover, volunteers like Ryan McDaniel from Paradise who step up help to provide “a positive message that kids with disabilities can accomplish anything, we include all children, despite their limitations.” The organization held 75 events in 2019 and worked with just under 3,000 participants and about 3,200 volunteers. The upward trajectory of these figures for 2020 is encouraging to all involved – especially Ryan McDaniel from Paradise, California.
The setting for the June 2020 C.A.S.T. for Kids will be the Lake Oroville reservoir in Butte County, California. This 25-square-mile body of water is home to salmon, trout, catfish, bass and more. This means that when Ryan McDaniel of Paradise helps take program participants out on the water to try their hand at boating and fishing, the opportunities to catch a once-in-a-lifetime experience are readily available. Parents who’ve attended past events alongside Ryan McDaniel from Paradise have said that it brought tears to their eyes and the “positive attitude” offered by volunteers was appreciated “beyond words.” These types of testimonials are why volunteers spend a Saturday morning working hard and offering skills they picked up along the way to those who want to share in an invigorating experience.
Ryan McDaniel of Paradise encourages readers who live in an area of the U.S. where C.A.S.T. has upcoming events planned to register as a participant, shore volunteer or boat volunteer. These individuals – as well as donations from local businesses, community groups and government organizations – make this event possible and organizers can’t extend enough appreciation for doing so.