Through the process of fly fishing and related actives, Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. dedicates physical and emotional rehabilitation toward disabled active military service personnel and disabled veterans.
Since its inception in 2005, Project Healing Waters has expanded nationwide, establishing its program in Department of Defense hospitals, Warrior Transition Units and Veterans Affairs Medical Centers and clinics. There are five Project Healing Waters programs in Ohio: Willoughby, Cleveland, Akron, Sheffield Lake and Rocky River.
“We have monthly classes and our vision is that we provide a healthy community where all people can heal,” said Diane Wantz, program lead for the Willoughby Project Healing Waters and deputy regional coordinator for the Midwest. “The program saves lives. People think that’s geared toward just our participants, but it’s a healthy community for our volunteers as well. It’s not about the fishing. It’s about providing moments of joy when sometimes they can’t find it.”
Project Healing Waters has a core set of values, which includes community, accountability, compassion and excellence, Wantz said.
“These last two years have been a challenge for everyone, but it was truly an opportunity for growth for our local program,” she said. “We had a strong social media presence because we wanted to let our veterans know that we were still here for them.”
Ed Nicholson, president and founder of Project Healing Waters, was a Navy veteran being treated for cancer when he started the nonprofit. Between appointments, he needed something to do, so he brought his fly rod to the hospital, Wantz said.
“He’d go out in the parking lot and cast, and other patients were pulling back the curtains on their windows to see what he was doing,” she said. “He asked his wife to bring more fly rods and it grew exponentially from there. There were like 50 people in the parking lot casting fly rods, so Ed and the recreational therapist said, ‘We might be on to something here.’ “
In 2007, a board of trustees was established and in 2009, Project Healing Waters became a registered nonprofit in Maryland. Now, it currently has 225 programs nationally.
In 2020, with only two months of face-to-face meetings and then having to shutdown in-person contact for more than 10 months, telling a population that should not be isolated that they needed to be was difficult, Wantz said.
“Creating a healthy community was even more important,” she said. “We served 9,800 participants, and 4,300 volunteers put in 260,000 volunteer hours that year.”
Eighty-four percent of money that is put toward Project Healing Waters goes toward programming, Wantz said. In addition, the Willoughby program is funded through individuals, private and corporate donors.
“We actively pursue grant money,” she said. “Fundraising is always a challenge, so that’s helped.”
Participants are taught fly tying, rod building, casting, and general fly fishing information and are then able to go on outings.
“They get to build their own rod and keep it, and they get to keep the flys they tie,” Wantz said. “We want them to catch a fish with a fly they’ve tied on a rod they’ve built. They have to learn about entomology, knot tying is important — there’s so many different levels. We’re not a fishing club. We don’t just provide fishing outings. It’s a process we teach and when participants are engaged, and we see them getting better, these other opportunities open up to them. We’re there to teach them a lifelong skill and hobby.”
Fly fishing, different from spin casting, is more of an intellectual sport, Wantz said, and is something someone in their 80s or 90s can do.
“It’s very tactical, so it creates a mindful experience where people can focus and you’re not just throwing a worm in the water,” she said. “It’s much more than that, which is what makes the success of catching a fish even sweeter.”
The program is unique in that it’s ongoing and year-round, Wantz said. There is also no time limit or cost to participants, and they don’t have know anything about fly fishing to join.
“They can come and go as they please, and they can stay as long as they want,” she said. “When they feel they’re ready to move on, they can stay with a group and become a volunteer. Twenty percent of our volunteers were former participants.”
Every Project Healing Waters program is required to have a sponsoring club, Wantz said. The Sheffield Lake club, based out of the Lorain County VA clinic, has Firelands Flyfighers as its sponsor. The Rocky River club, based out of the Parma VA clinic, has Northeast Ohio Fly Fishers as its sponsor.
For more information on the Sheffield Lake club, contact Gary Kader at gary.kader@projecthealingwaters.com; for information on the Rocky River club, contact Tim Norris at tim.norris@projecthealingwaters.com. Participants need a home base, but they are able to go to any program.
“We deal with a lot of hidden disabilities, but have adaptive equipment for participants,” she said. “They can tie a fly if they just have the use of one hand. If they’re in a wheelchairs e can still get them on the water. We’re a small program locally, but nationally, it’s open to any veteran.”
“The program creates lifelong friendships with like-minded people, it’s nonjudgemental and they feel safe. The power of this group touches your heart.”
