Every dollar raised sends a woman in treatment or recovery on a life-changing CfR retreat and gets behind TU Costa 5 Rivers Clubs, the next generation of conservation-minded anglers. (Photo courtesy of Casting for Recovery)
May 09, 2025
By Lynn Burkhead
For some fly anglers, the mention of Mother's Day brings back cherished memories of our moms, some who even influenced or aided our journey into fly fishing. For others, the mention signals an incredible time on the springtime calendar out West when an epic caddis hatch occurs in some spots.
But for some, the mention of the day honoring our moms brings somber feelings, sad thoughts of illness and loss, and the scourge of breast cancer that claims the lives of 42,000+ women every year in the U.S. Thankfully, many women survive their breast cancer diagnosis, and that's where the mission of Casting for Recovery (CfR)steps in to empower them, foster mental health and wellness, and birth a sense of conservation and joy through the healing potential of a day spent fly fishing on the water.
Throughout the year, CfR is able to enhance the lives of breast cancer survivors through their well-known and much in demand retreats that connect women to each other and use the therapeutic nature of fly fishing to promote complete healing, all at no cost to the participants.
To provide such services, the organization relies on donations and fundraising efforts to help the mission move forward, one wader boot step at a time. One of those fundraisers is ongoing through Mother's Day this year as CfR and Trout Unlimited 5 Rivers Club combine with TU Costa 5 Rivers College Clubs across the nation in a head-to-head fundraising showdown with an aim to raise money for CfR's ongoing work.
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The challenge has participants tell organizers which TU Costa 5 Rivers Club they were backing , the name of a woman in the angler's life that was being honored, and even just resharing the social media posts about the effort.
While this particular challenge ends is coming to a close, the mission continues and there are plenty of opportunities to help in the days to come with more opportunities to make a real-world impact with CfR. Right now, opportunities to donate money to CfR, volunteer time and effort, and even see given monies matched are available.
And there will be more to come in the months ahead, especially in light of next year's 30th anniversary for the program that has helped more than 12,000 women experience a life-changing Casting for Recovery retreat.
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If you're interested in helping CfR with a financial contribution, see this webpage .
