PrairieCare to open new mental health hospital
PrairieCare… one of LGF’s biggest sponsors, is opening a new mental health facility in the Twin Cities. BROOKLYN PARK, Minn. – More help is coming for children in the Twin Cities dealing with mental health issues. PrairieCare will open a brand new pediatric mental health hospital in September.
North Branch Chapter Receives Donation
The North Branch Chapter of Let’s go Fishing is pleased to receive a donation from the Krona family in Lindstrom, in memory of Shel Krona, who was able to go out on numerous Let’s go Fishing trips. Read the Full Story…
Minnesota charity gives seniors and vets a chance to fish
As seen on Fox 9 news… Minnesota Charity Gives Back to the Communities
Everyday Access to Nature Improves Quality of Life in Older Adults
Natural environments are known to promote physical, mental, and spiritual healing. People can attain health benefits by spending time outside, often in remote places to “get away from it all.” Now research conducted by a University of Minnesota graduate student with a team in Vancouver, B.C., shows that green and “blue” spaces (environments with running or still water) are especially beneficial for healthy aging in seniors.
Published in the journal Health and Place, the study – Therapeutic landscapes and wellbeing in later life: Impacts of blue and green spaces for older adults – demonstrates that by incorporating smaller features, such as a koi pond or a bench with a view of flowers, public health and urban development strategies can optimize nature as a health resource for older adults. Throughout the research, green and blue spaces promoted feelings of renewal, restoration, and spiritual connectedness. They also provided places for multi-generational social interactions and engagement, including planned activities with friends and families, and impromptu gatherings with neighbors.
“We zoomed in to everyday life for seniors between the ages of 65 and 86. We discovered how a relatively mundane experience, such as hearing the sound of water or a bee buzzing among flowers, can have a tremendous impact on overall health,” says Jessica Finlay, a former research assistant on the project and lead author of the paper. Finlay is now a doctoral candidate in geography and gerontology at the University of Minnesota, where she continues to investigate influences of the built environment on health and well-being in later life. “Accessibility to everyday green and blue spaces encourages seniors to simply get out the door. This in turn motivates them to be active physically, spiritually and socially, which can offset chronic illness, disability and isolation.”
Read the full article at… University of Minnesota
Fairmont Chapter gives back to seniors
By Kelsey Hering, MANKATO, June 13 — A cork bobbing in the water, a light breeze and only one lighthearted regret from passengers. Riedesel said, “Bad day for hats, I’ll say that.” But a little wind didn’t stop Ginny from being excited about Fairmont’s Let’s Go Fishing Program on Bud Lake.
Scott County Christens Pontoon with Veterans Group
By Janice Bitters, Star Tribune, June 9, 2015, NEW PRAGUE –Summer is the season when Minnesotans pull out their boats and dust off their fishing rods in preparation for cabin weather. But for some — especially seniors and people with disabilities — getting outdoors can be a challenge.
That’s where Minnesota-based nonprofit Let’s Go Fishing (LGF) comes in.
The organization offers free fishing and pontoon boat outings to seniors, veterans and disabled adults throughout the summer. Scott County has a new chapter this year, which kicked off its season June 1 at Cedar Lake Farm Regional Park in New Prague.
“All of us know of individuals that cannot get out like they used to, and it’s hard to really realize [what that’s like] that without talking to somebody,” said Joe Holm, founder of Let’s Go Fishing. “It’s like taking something very precious from somebody that you had your whole life.”
New Prague resident Larry Smith attended the Scott County chapter’s maiden voyage June 1, which was specifically for military veterans.
“I don’t fish at all, hardly,” he said. “My wife fishes, she’s a fishing fanatic.”
Joe Vaughan, a retired New Prague fire chief and honor guard member, sat next to Smith, arms crossed, smiling out at the lake and chatting with the group.
“I caught all my fish last night at Cub,” he joked.
Vaughan said he isn’t much of a fisherman, but he plans to come back for another pontoon ride this summer.
And that’s just fine by the organizers of Let’s Go Fishing.
“It’s really about what being on the water does for a person mentally and physically,” Holm said.