Greg repeated my question, before answering quickly and firmly. “Why fly fishing? I think that just learning to cast, there is satisfaction from that. Before they even catch a fish there is accomplishment. And that makes it special for these kids.”

The kids that Greg Lunsford was referring to are the children who participate in The Mayfly Project. The Mayfly Project is a 501(c)(3) organization that uses fly fishing as a catalyst to mentor children in foster care. Their mission is to support children in foster care through fly fishing and introduce them to their local water ecosystems, with a hope that connecting them to a rewarding hobby will provide an opportunity for foster children to have fun, feel supported, and develop a meaningful connection with the outdoors.

Those words are the mission statement of The Mayfly Project. Greg, who is a mentor for the program in Arkansas, summed it up this way: “You can just be there for a kid going through a difficult time. You can help give them an experience. Even if it is just one day it can be very satisfying for them.”

Personally, Greg has a number of reasons to feel connected to kids who The Mayfly Project serves. He worked in a pediatric hospital. He has children the same age as the participants. He fly fishes. And he himself was in the foster care system. “I was adopted at 18 months, so I didn’t have the experience of an older child in the system. But I can still see what could have been; see myself in their shoes.”

Currently, it is estimated that there are over 400,000 children in foster care in the United States. There are countless circumstances that lead to a child being in the system, and, of course, no two children are alike. It can be assumed that most desire a reprieve from their day-to-day routine and some healthy, positive attention.

Greg explained how it takes some work, though. “Every time you get a child you don’t know what you’re going to get. Often they have walls up. By taking them fly fishing, which is very attention driven, it gets them outside of their situation even if temporarily. They are focusing on casting, on watching their fly. They’ll start to open up. They might be quiet or frustrated, but then they catch a fish and you see them smile.”

A smile means a lot. A genuine smile from catching a trout, from an enthusiastic good job, or even just seeing something they’ve never seen before is a glimmer of hope for a child who absolutely needs it.

Greg Lunsford didn’t hesitate when I asked him what his “sales pitch” for getting others involved in The Mayfly Project is. “People should get involved because you can make a difference in a child’s life. And at a time when they may be going through the worst time in their life. There are a lot of kids who have had it bad – really been feeling pushed around. And you can get them to smile at the end of the day? Why wouldn’t you want to do that; have that experience?”

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There are plenty of ways to help children in foster care with fly fishing through The Mayfly Project. You can gift financial or gear donations. Or, you can do what Greg did and become a mentor in the program. The gift of mentorship is a gift of time, which means so much to the children we work with. You don’t have to be a professional fly fisher or social worker, they are looking for people who are dedicated to improving the lives of children and can commit to their projects.

For information on these ways to help, as well as more stories and links to local projects, head to The Mayfly Project’s website.