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Countywide : Caught Up in a Day of Happiness

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On the shore of a sun-drenched lake in Anaheim, Elvia Gonzalez tugged hard on a fishing rod and excitedly reeled in her second fish of the day.

After showing off her prize to her friends, Elvia grinned and said fishing is always more fun when you catch something.

“It was fun because I felt kind of special,” she said.

Elvia, 15, was one of more than 500 physically disabled children from throughout the county who went fishing on Friday as part of an annual program sponsored by Easter Seal Society of Los Angeles & Orange Counties Inc. Sponsors said the event is designed to give children with disabilities a chance to “have fun and gain a sense of accomplishment.”

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Flanked by almost 300 volunteers, including many retired residents and fishing enthusiasts, the children gleefully cast their lines into the Santa Ana Rivers Lake and pulled out flopping trout by the dozens.

Bob Towney, 33, said he has volunteered for the past seven years and that events like this are important to make the community aware that, “handicapped people are people too.”

The best part of participating is seeing the faces of the children, said Towney, who lives in Orange.

“I saw one kid who caught two or three fish. When he caught one, he’d jump up and down and scream and high-five anyone he’d come across,” Towney said.

Towney said his reward for helping out is, “their laughter and smiles. You can’t ask for anything more than that. Their enthusiasm makes it all worthwhile.”

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