Dear Lake in the Hills Sportsman’s Club:
As a child, my grandparents used to take me fishing. My husband’s grandparents did the same for him. Our parents, however, do not do the same for my children.
Through a friend, I heard about the Lake in the Hills Sportsman’s Club Fishing Derby and kids’ clinic in the spring of 2009, and thought it would be a great opportunity to let the kids try their hand at fishing without having to spear a worm myself. What roped us in was the fact that all of the supplies needed were available to borrow, so all we had to do was show up. Our plan was to show up for a little bit before moving on to another engagement we had already planned for the day.
The day was so much fun, the volunteers so welcoming, the planning so organized and well executed, and the atmosphere so enthusiastic that we spent the whole day! I hadn’t brought a camera, since I expected the kids to grow tired of sitting watching a bobber after a few minutes. I grew to regret that decision when both of my children’s faces beamed after catching the first fish of their entire life! Luckily one of your volunteers was there to capture the moment for me.
In addition to the great time we had that one day at Barbara Key Park, I wanted to share with you the impact that your event had on my family. Within days of attending the event, both of my kids were begging to go fishing again. Family members donated some of their old tackle boxes (along with a few fishing stories to go along with them, another plus), the kids picked out some poles and we bought a couple of reels and fun accessories, along with two fishing licenses for mom and dad. For days, my kids spent all of their free time casting a lead weight into the imaginary lake from the deck. They had to perfect their cast, you see, because they had PLANS.
We spent many weekends that summer enjoying our new pasttime of catch and release at a number of McHenry County Conservation District lakes. Our goal is to fish at every one of them before we circle back and double down on our favorites. We also plan to incorporate fishing into our camping vacation in the summer of 2010! None of these activities would have even crossed our minds if your club had not hosted the Fishing Derby for my poor fishing deprived kids. Well, no more! Fishing has turned into our least expensive hobby, favorite family outing, and most relaxing (and earliest!) weekend activity, and we only have your club to thank!
Needless to say, we are eagerly anticipating the 2010 Fishing Derby at Barbara Key Park. We added it to the calendar as soon as we heard the date, and my kids immediately dug out their Sportsman’s Club Fishing Derby t-shirts to wear to school! They are telling all of their friends what a great time they had, so I hope you have lots of rods available for the newbies. This year we’ll be bringing our own!
Sincerely,
Rebecca Frank
Fisherwoman Extraordinaire
Why yes, I did actually send this letter! Have you known that I am a letter writer? I am not a dissatisfied-with-your-service letter writer (because I am also a boycotter, but that is another story), but I am 100% behind supportive, helpful, positive ‘atta boy letters. They’re constructive, they are helpful, they make people feel good that their efforts are recognized and appreciated, and they offer positive reinforcement that makes the recipient do more good stuff that I will like! I put this letter together so that the LITH Sportsman’s Club can feel the love, but since it’s been received I have heard that it will also be used to help to secure sponsorship for their club and future events donations, and possibly in advertising and marketing materials. I sent it without solicitation, however, they did ask my permission to use it for these other purposes. Hopefully it will help. They do some great work in financially supporting conservation of the area’s waterways. Being a longtime resident of this community, I am keenly aware and supportive of any conservation efforts. Such a small way to do my part, it is just that easy!
