Volunteers Help Make Fishing Memories for Children with Illnesses

By Oklahoma Dept of Wildlife Conservation

First posted on 07-20-2010

Volunteers recently came together to take almost 170 kids from Oklahoma Children’s Hospital fishing at Lake Texoma.

Camp Cavett offers outdoor experiences to children who are undergoing treatments for illnesses such as heart disease, cancer, sickle cell anemia and other childhood illnesses, and each year anglers and boaters from across Oklahoma, Texas and even Louisiana volunteer their time and their boats to take them fishing.

“Some of these kids have had a tough time over the last few years, but they’re just like any other kids — they love to go fishing and take a boat ride,” said Gene Gilliland, central region fisheries supervisor for the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation.

Gilliland volunteers each year and said some of the campers don’t get to fish at home, either because their conditions will not allow them to fish easily or because they are in the hospital too much to find time. Getting the opportunity to go through Camp Cavett gets them involved in the outdoors, giving them something to look forward to as well as broadening their appreciation for the natural world.

Kids who come to the camp, sponsored by the Cavett Kids Foundation, stay at the Cross Point Methodist Youth Camp on Lake Texoma and have a chance to go fishing twice during the week. While they fish for striper on Thursday, a fishing derby is held Saturday for any species that bites, with trophies awarded to the three biggest fish in each category, including bass, striper, catfish, panfish and other species.

“One little girl who won a trophy last year passed away before this year’s camp,” Gilliland said. “At her funeral they had a table of her most prized possessions. Among them was the trophy she won at the fishing derby.”

Boaters interested in volunteering at future Camp Cavett fishing days can contact Jenny Rodgers, Cavett Kids Foundation Director, at (405) 271-2271 or at .