Throughout the summer, a program funded by the Richland County Foundation called Hooked on Fishing- Not On Drugs (HOFNOD) will be teaching children the basics of fishing. The program also gives children an awareness on the dangers of drug use, taught by a Mansfield Drug Abuse Resistence Education (D.A.R.E) officer. The D.A.R.E. officer visits the children 1 to 3 times per summer.
The program has been around for 15 years and lasts for nine weeks of the summer. Sessions are held every Wednesday and Thursday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. On Wednesday the children meet at North Lake Park off of Fourth Street in Mansfield, and on Thursday they meet at Liberty Park. Each child is provided with a fishing pole made of bamboo sticks and baited with night crawlers and wax worms. The poles and bait are organized by Retired Senior Volunteer Program (RSVP) volunteer Jim Wisenbarger.
Wisenbarger has been a volunteer for the program for six years. He is 63 years-old and lives in Butler.
Luke Brewer, another volunteer of the program, has been around since its origins in Mansfield. “I love the kids, I love to see them fish, and I love to fish myself. I have five kids and I raised them by the creek bed, so they love to fish too. I don’t make money from it; I just like it because it’s fun,” said Brewer. He is 79 years-old, and has had two heart attacks but he is there every Wednesday and Thursday.
These two volunteers are required to be certified instructors by taking and passing classes provided by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
Other volunteers included adults from Berean Baptist Church in Lexington: Clyde and Sharon Perry, Julie Heaton, Lee Montgomery, Cindy Walter, and a man who preferred to be known as Mr. D.
HOFNOD is a branch program of the Future Fisherman Foundation. It was developed over 20 years ago to provide children with a safe and healthy alternative to drugs. The program is free and no sign up is required. For more information on HOFNOD, click here.
