TAMAQUA, Pa. — Sunday morning started with a trout stocking donation from Schuylkill Headwaters for the kids at Kellner's Dam in Schuylkill County. All for Kellner's Dam Association's Annual Fishing Derby.
11-year-old angler, Urijah Watkins, kicked off the derby with the biggest catch of the weekend. A fish he says was a fighter.
"I get it close to me and it zooms down so I'm like down like in the middle of the area and it zooms all the way down to the other side and I'm stuck there reeling and it's pulling out and I'm reeling back in. It's so hard," Watkins said.
Kellner's Dam Association is a non-profit that wants to make sure every child has a chance to fish like Watkins, without any limitations.
"Our Vice President Rich, he's working on getting a grant through the ADA. Right now, we have a single pad for anybody that's handicapped, wheelchair-bound, whatever. With the grant or any donations that we would receive we're looking to expand it so we have more openings for anybody that's handicapped because we want everybody to enjoy the dam," said Robert Van Norman, Secretary at Kellner's Dam Association.
With that grant or any donations from the community, Kellner's Dam Association hopes to add more handicapped parking and create a concrete pathway to the bathrooms for those who need it.
Van Norman's son and volunteer at Kellner's Dam Association, Gabriel Van Norman expresses what this event means to him. "I like watching the little kids that catch big fish and their faces. The smiles on their faces and stuff. It's amazing how they could catch big fish."
The organization hopes this joy for fishing can be passed through generations to come and the community can help ensure those with disabilities can feel the joy of fishing too.
To donate to help the organization create a more accessible dam or find more information on Kellner's Dam Association you can find their Facebook page Here.