POWERGRAMS

Volunteers help students learn to Go Fishin' for fun As the days grow longer and warmer, Dylan Cotton starts checking the calendar, counting down till May. That's because the Fultondale Elementary fourth-grader knows the annual "Gone Fishin' Not Just Wishin'" event at Oak Mountain is around the corner. Dylan's mother, Crystal Coles, enjoys the occasion just as much as her son. "He loves it," said Coles. "This is one of Dylan's most favorite activities. He even got up and sang 'Thank God I'm a Country Boy' with the band." "The event is always special," said Cynthia Corbin, a teacher's aide in Sylvia Pugh's exceptional education class at Fultondale Elementary School. "I have been coming here for 20 years, and this is always wonderful." Pugh's and Corbin's students were among about 1,000 children from Jefferson and Shelby counties who enjoyed the 20th anniversary of the Exceptional Anglers event. Visitors were greeted by children's laughter as many enjoyed their first time fishing. One section of Oak Mountain Lake, from which children fished on a newly expanded pier, was stocked with about 10,000 catfish funded through an Alabama Power Foundation grant. Students took part in finger-painting, kayaking and singing with a bluegrass band. Kids young and old had their fill of fried catfish, hot dogs, pudding, chips and other treats. To Coles' delight, it didn't take Dylan long to make his first catch of the day. "I caught a big, little catfish!" Dylan exclaimed to his mother. Smiling broadly, Dylan unhooked the fish with help from Alabama Power's Mike Clelland. The Environmental Affairs specialist was among several from that department helping on the pier. "Alabama Power has been one of the corporate sponsors of this event for a very long time," said Clelland, who has assisted for seven years. "Environmental Affairs employees ordered the fish and arranged stocking of the lake." Some 150 Alabama Power employees assisted, of whom 95 are members of the Alabama Power Service Organization (APSO), according to Magic City project chairwoman and Transmission Line Services Administrative Assistant Beatrice Rafferty. During the three-day event, APSO members volunteered for nearly 500 hours as they helped kids put on life vests, baited fishhooks and helped reel in "the big one." Seeing children smile was her reward, said Magic City APSO President Lisa Spears, who was among employees who took photos of each youngster fishing. "We want to make sure no child leaves without catching a fish," said Spears, administrative assistant for Material Quality Engineering, Southern Nuclear. "Seeing their faces is the sweetest thing, as they accomplish this for the first time." Coles' son has attended Exceptional Anglers every year since kindergarten. "I love everything about it," she said. "It exposes the children to arts and crafts, fishing and other activities. It treats them just like everyone else." "They have a ball," said Dylan's grandmother, Marilyn Cotton, as she watched her grandson fish. "I wouldn't miss it," Cotton said. "It's a wonderful thing Alabama Power does for these kids. It's an opportunity for them to interact with other kids and have a good time. It's a blessing to everybody." By Donna Cope POWER TO ALABAMA 3 Clelland (left) helped Fultondale Elementary students Dylan Cotton and Charlotte Yarborough fish at Oak Mountain State Park. Photo by Phil Free

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