PHWFF Chairman Wins L.L. Bean Award
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. (PHWFF) is pleased to announce that Douglas Dear was named a winner of the prestigious L.L. Bean Outdoor Heroes Award. Mr. Dear, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of PHWFF, won this distinction by gaining a majority of popular votes through online voting during July.
“I am humbled to have received such significant support from so many individuals,” stated Dear¸ ”and this award gives me the opportunity to share the exemplary programs with individuals who may not have heard about Project Healing Waters before. In addition to the $5,000 donation that will be made by L.L. Bean to PHWFF, and the $500 L.L. Bean gift card I have passed along to PHWFF, the disabled veterans and wounded warriors are the real winners.”
Douglas Dear was recognized for his passionate leadership and tireless efforts which brought about significant and sustained program growth to PHWFF. From the program’s inception at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. to more than 100 programs in 2011, PHWFF volunteers have assisted disabled veterans and recovering soldiers by exposing them to the therapeutic benefits of fly fishing. The number of PHWFF volunteers and participants has increased every year, and, in 2010, some 3,000 disabled veterans and recovering military service members were involved in regularly scheduled classes and fishing outings offered by PHWFF. Through fly fishing instruction, fly tying classes, fly casting lessons, rod building and fly fishing outings, participants learn new skills that help them enjoy the healing properties of the outdoors and lessen the symptoms of their disabilities.
Dear’s advocacy of fly fishing and his responsible stewardship of fly fishing waters have been instrumental to the success of the PHWFF program as well as other nonprofit organizations. He maintains over a mile of private water on the Rose River, in addition to a trout pond and two bass ponds at his Rose River Farm near Syria, Virginia. He hosts Casting for Recovery retreats and Trout Unlimited youth programs in addition to many Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing events. Douglas has dedicated time, effort and considerable personal resources to conservation initiatives and environmental issues.
“We are grateful to Douglas,” stated Ed Nicholson, Capt., USN (Ret.), President and CEO of Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, “not just for what he contributes to us but for others as well. He’s very generous and committed, and others deserve to know about the wonderful things he does. It is a fitting tribute for Douglas to be selected as the L.L. Bean Outdoor Heroes Award recipient for 2011.”
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization with over 100 programs run by volunteers in 38 states. Funding for program expenses comes from individual and corporate donations and foundation grants. Visit the L.L. Bean web site to learn more about the recipients of the award.
