Ray Park nominated for RSVP "Volunteer of the Year"

Ray Park, past club president and creator of the Loveland Fishing Club Senior Derby, has been nominated for the Larimer County Retired Senior Volunteer Program's "Volunteer of the Year."

Nominees will be recognized on Wednesday, March 12, at a reception at the Lincoln Center in Fort Collins.  

In his nomination petition, Club President Bill Prater noted Ray "has taken a great idea, to create a fishing opportunity for the elderly, and turned it into an eagerly awaited Loveland Fishing Club event open to every assisted living center resident in Loveland." Ray conceived of the derby while club president in 2011.  He organized a strong team of volunteers who contacted assisted living centers and engaged the support of the city and special use of Flatiron Reservoir.  He also secured the help of the Parks and Wildlife Bellevue Watson fish hatchery at LaPorte, which provides trout for each of the derbies. 

"Fishing Club volunteers greet busloads of guests and give them personalized help, including warm welcomes for residents who simply ccome to watch," Prater noted. "The goal is a memorable day outdoors for people who may not have had an opportunity to fish for many years.  Under Ray’s guidance, club members volunteer en mass, and relish the event so much because the elderly anglers are overjoyed at their day by the lake."

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