Fishing for a cause: Organization using trips to teach about organ donation

OKTIBBEHA COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – Going fishing for a cause. That’s the goal of Forever Outdoors. The organization takes kids, veterans, organ donors, and recipients out for some fun in the sun all while learning about what it means to be an organ donor.

Forever Outdoors is giving people the opportunity to fish and boat while advocating how you can save someone’s life through organ donation.

And since everyone has been stuck inside, it was so nice to enjoy the weather while also supporting a great cause.

Carol Wright and her Husband Finis are taking advantage of the sunshine and fishing on a lake in Oktibbeha County.

“Oh, it’s just a good time, getting out and getting with everybody,” said Finis. “Getting out and enjoying. With everything going on its just good to be outside and be with everybody,” said Carol.

But this isn’t just your ordinary fishing trip, it’s a trip that helps raise awareness on a big catch.

Rob Robinson is the founder of Forever Outdoors, a nonprofit that raises awareness on the importance of organ donation.

“Several years ago I donated a kidney to a farmer out in Kansas all because I took up turkey hunting and I came up with the idea of promoting organ donations along with outdoor adventures for special people and veterans and kids and organ donors and recipients and just get them outdoors and doing different kinds of adventures they might not experience otherwise,” said Robinson.

Finis may have lost his sight, but that’s not stopping him from fishing. He didn’t just catch a few fish.

“Oh, I don’t know, 7 or 8 maybe,” said Finis. “Probably more than that, he’s caught several out in the boat and 3 out in the shore,” said Carol. “Yeah, maybe 10 or 12,” said Finis.

Robinson said that through the help of social networks they have signed up over 15 thousand people to be organ donors through Forever Outdoors.

“We’ve got over 91,000 people on our Facebook page and we encourage people to go like our page and invite all your Facebook friends, we can make this no-ball,” said Robinson. “Just signing people up to be organ donors and making these events happen like today is just a blessing, you know. You just never know how it’s going to impact these persons’ lives.”

Click here to find out how you can help.