Washington State’s Annual - Fly Fishing Retreat for Breast Cancer Survivors

October 14-16, 2011
Sun Mountain Lodge
Winthrop, WA

Retreat flyer - PDF
Retreat application - PDF

A weekend retreat at no cost to the participants.
For women who live in Washington, in all stages of breast cancer treatment and recovery.

To submit your name for a chance to be selected as a participant for the Oct. 14-16, 2011 retreat at Sun Mountain Lodge in Winthrop, WA , send or fax the attached form to arrive by August 1, 2011 to:
Casting for Recovery
PO Box 1123
Manchester, VT 05254

Fax: 802-362-9182,
Phone: 883-553-3500

email: info@CastingForRecovery.org
Web: www.CastingForRecovery.org

Participants are selected at random and will be notified of their application status once the selection process is completed.


We want to make a difference, one survivor at a time… Our goal is to make a positive difference in your life over this very unique weekend. Fly-fishing is on the agenda but support for the journey of breast cancer recovery is our underlying focus.

We focus on wellness instead of illness… Support groups, whether at a hospital or breast center, provide a wonderful first-line resource but are often viewed as a setting that focuses on the disease, and not on recovery. Casting for Recovery’s welcoming environment, free of the constraints of treatment, family responsibility, and financial concerns, helps women open up to taking charge of their own wellness.

We focus on quality of life issues… The retreat program is designed to help women participate at their own pace, take time to care for themselves, engage in self-exploration and the mastery of new skills — helpful tools as women return to the demands of their day-to-day lives. Casting for Recovery truly deserves its description as “life-changing”.

We expand support & create new opportunities for survivors… Whether women are currently undergoing treatment, or are ten years beyond it, participants find that they share a common bond, can help each other address issues that arise post-treatment, and share an inspiration that often goes beyond what is available to them in their day-to-day lives.

We share our love of this therapeutic sport… Fly-fishing is the means used to address the underlying issues surrounding recovery. Participants are offered formal instruction in the basics of fly casting, environmental issues, catch-and-release fly fishing, entomology, fly tying and knot tying skills. We hope you thoroughly enjoy this special weekend retreat.

Kristina and Tessa with thier new CFR hat!

Just had to share this cute picture of some friends of mine with their new CFR hat! Kristina has been dealing with breast cancer for some time now and is doing great. She is a friend that I met through her best friend Susan and I think of her often when I work with Casting for Recovery. I gave her my hat this weekend when she kept taking mine off of my head... I had her choose a steelhead fly for it, she chose purple, a bit articulated steelhead pattern! She was so cute with it on, that I couldn't take it back. Hopefully I'll get her and her mom out on the water and teach them to fly fish sometime soon!

Women’s Intermediate Fly Fishing School, May 6-8 (CFR Fundraiser)

The Washington Casting for Recovery (CFR) program is hosting a Women’s Intermediate Fly Fishing School on May 6-8, 2011 at Sun Country Golf & RV Resort near Cle Elum, WA. This is a major fundraising event for Washington Casting for Recovery, and the enrollment fee is $375. Meals and lodging are included and enrollment is limited to 20 participants. Instruction will take place on golf course fairways, ponds and the Yakima River.

This is a rare opportunity for women who fly fish to spend the weekend with some of the most accomplished Northwest women in the sport. Instructors include: Denise Maxwell, a former world champion distance and accuracy fly caster and the first woman to hold a Steelhead Guide’s license in British Columbia; MaryAnn Dozer, one of only ten Women Master Level FFF Certified Casters in the nation; Jennifer Mitchell, co-owner and operator of The Evening Hatch Guide Service & Fly Shop; Judith O’Keefe, who – with her husband Brian-- collaborated with Scientific Anglers on two instructional DVDs, Fly Fishing Made Easy and Introduction to Fly Casting with Brian & Judith O'Keefe; Judy Graham, certified FFF Casting Instructor and fishing guide, and Jeannette Eeckhoudt, past president of Northwest Women Flyfishers and accomplished angler. This event takes place over Mother’s Day weekend, and instruction is scheduled to be completed in time for participants to be home for Mother’s Day dinner. It’s a must-attend weekend for women who want to take their fly fishing skills to the next level.

Detailed information and an online flyer for this Women’s Intermediate Fly Fishing School fundraiser event can be downloaded here. Contact Judy Graham, Washington Casting For Recovery Coordinator, for more information at judybeem@hotmail.com.

Casting for Recovery is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that relies solely on donations to provide weekend fly-fishing retreats to hundreds of breast cancer survivors every year. Contributions are tax-deductible as permitted by law, and will help us expand our capacity to meet the ever-growing demand for our services. Through your support, we will be able to continue to enhance the lives of breast cancer survivors all across the country by providing retreats, at no cost to the participants, that promote mental, physical and emotional healing. Washington’s 2011 annual Casting for Recovery fly fishing retreat for breast cancer survivors will take place on the weekend of October 14-16, 2011. Washington State breast cancer survivors, of all ages and in all stages of treatment and recovery, are invited to apply for this fall retreat. Breast cancer survivors are encouraged to contact Judy Graham (judybeem@hotmail.com) to obtain an application to participate in the October retreat.

New Blog for CFR - Washington Chapter

Check back for the upcoming date in Septemeber 2011 for a Day on the River with Casting for Recovery. Casting for Recovery was recently profiled in the annual "Giving" section of The New York Times, which can be viewed online at: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/11/giving/11CAST.html?ref=giving

To learn more about Casting for Recovery, check out http://www.castingforrecovery.org/.

"Photo credit - Susan Gaetz"