As the leader of the Thursday Adventure Club with Community Unlimited, Val Rossman’s goal is "no kid left inside". Her activities get kids outside, and involved in outdoor activities and the environment. On Thursday, February 5, Rossman and Ronda Fisk took fourteen middle- and high-school students ice fishing at Union Lake. 
In preparation for the ice-fishing expedition, the kids built their own rods these past few weeks. They had to read & follow a set of directions, measure, drill, cut, sand etc. The poles are made out of dowels, paper clips, and safety pins. The students worked on tying several fishing knots before-hand; most decided "improved clinch knot" was easiest. The bobbers were even handmade, from small corks from Hensley’s. Part of the project included a safety lecture from Officer Steve Foster, of the Branch County
Sheriff Office and Dive Team; this was attended by not only the participants of the trip but also the thirty other middle-school students in the afternoon BLAST program.
Bob and Linda Burgett of Hank’s Landing donated line, hooks and bait for the project and gave all the kids a bag of chips when they left. The Burgetts are having an ice fishing tournament on February 21, and there will be a prize for the kid who catches the biggest fish using their homemade fishing pole.
Pastor Dan Wheeler of the Union City Wesleyan Church helped out, as well as John Heator and Ben Adams, who lives on the lake. Rossman provided hot chocolate, which went pretty fast!
Unfortunately, there were no fish caught. It was too cold for even the fish, and they had not been biting the last couple of weeks. Another trip for later in February is in the planning stage, hopefully with better results. There was a minimum of 16 inches of ice on the lake to drill through; the kids had fun auguring holes and were very happy that Ben Adams brought his power auger!
More fishing activities are planned for the spring and summer, as well as opportunities for getting the kids involved in river/lake stewardship and environmental issues. Previous events have included geo-caching, rock climbing at Climb Kalamazoo, and cross country skiing; an upcoming trip will involve downhill skiing at Timber Ridge.
Community Unlimited thanks Pastor Dan Wheeler, John Heator, Ben Adams, and Bob and Linda Burgett of Hank’s Landing for their support and assistance in this adventure!
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