Fishing!

Volunteers from the Smith Mountain Striper Club taught the children the joy of fishing. For many of the children, it was the first time they had ever fished. They had so much fun experiencing the joy of catching that first fish.

By sharing a sport that they love, the Smith Mountain Striper Club provided these children with an experience that let them forget about their illness, for a brief period, and enjoy the pleasures of the great outdoors.

Fishing was a big part of the three-day event, organized by Carilion that was held at the Smith Mountain Lake 4-H Center, but the children and their parents participated in many fun activities.

The staff of 4-H and Carilion nurses supervised the children as they canoed, swam, built campfires and practiced archery.

A wonderful thing about this event is that Carilion also provided the parents with fun and relaxing activities. So, for a brief period, they could focus on something other than their child’s illness. The parents were treated to long, relaxing massages. They also attended cooking, exercise and team-building classes.

The Carilion Clinic Children’s Hospital is fortunate to be a Children’s Miracle Network Hospital. As a Miracle Network Hospital, no child is turned away regardless of their parents’ ability to pay. In order to continue to provide excellent medical service and run events for children, fund raising is a big part of the hospital’s success. All funds raised locally, remain local.

A fund raiser scheduled for August 15-17 is the Anthem Lemon Aid Stand. Your children can set up a lemon aid stand, or they can sell via the Internet. This will not only be fun for your children, but will provide a valuable lesson in the sense of accomplishment that is achieved by helping others. Children helping children!

One of the easiest ways to support our local Roanoke Children’s Miracle Network Hospital is to purchase their Miracle Balloons. The Carilion Event webpage has a list of stores where the balloons may be purchased as well as many exciting upcoming fund raiser events.

I love helping out my community and keeping them informed on local events. I am also passionate about assisting those who want to buy lakefront property, so call me, Vicki Millehan. I have over 19 years of experience in selling waterfront homes, and am a long-time resident of Smith Mountain Lake.