PHWFF / GBTU Kickoff Meeting

PHWFF July 31st
Folks assembling into meeting room at clinic

Folks assembling in room at clinic

It took an accumulation of over 2 months of correspondence between Green Bay Trout Unlimited (GBTU) and the staff at Milo C Heumpfner VA Clinic, but we were able to hold a Project Healing Waters Fly-Fishing (PHWFF) kick off meeting on July 31st at one of the conference rooms in the clinic.

It started July 14th with a meeting of the PHWFF Committee and conference call at Mike Renish’s house, our local chapter’s volunteer techy and webmaster, where he hooked us up with Mike Kuhr on a Skype conference call.

The chapter’s is greatly indebted to both Mike’s for a very informational two hour meeting where the committee members gained a better understanding of whom the program serves and how best to set-up a PHWFF program curriculum.

Mike Kuhr was the founder and set-up Milwaukee’s program and now lives in Madison and volunteers with their PHWFF program.

Mike Renish demoing the quick and easy Bugger

Mike Renish demoing the quick and easy Fly

When the July 31st meeting date came the committee members were well versed in the program and were very well received by the staff at the VA clinic here in Green Bay.

The VA staff was very enthusiastic about getting the program started after Mike Kuhr’ s power-point and our Q&A session afterwards.

The staff and veterans that showed up for the 31st meeting got a chance to meet the program volunteers and have a small sample of how to tie a fly demonstrated by Mike Renish and a casting demo with a practice rod.

The first PHWFF session is slated for the Tuesday after Labor Day, Sept 8th at the DAV Building at 1253 Scheuring Rd # A, in DePere.

The basic fly-tying sessions will be held every other Tuesday from 6-8pm for 8 weeks at which time the committee will reconvene to decide what PHWFF session #2 curriculum will consist of?

Check out some of the Photos From The Day.