14-year-old finds a father figure in Lakeland fishing charity

14-year-old finds a father figure in Lakeland fishing charity

By Raymond Beasock

Source: theledger

5/24/2024

Will Dunn has spent nearly the past 15 years getting kids hooked on fishing.

So when Dunn, the founder of the Lakeland-based charity Take a Kid Fishing Inc., volunteered to help on the docks at a recent youth fishing event at the Tenoroc Public Use Area in Lakeland, he couldn’t help but notice 14-year-old Joey Maraffa.

Accompanied by his grandparents, Joey stood out to Dunn.

“You could just tell he has a passion for it,” Dunn said. “Joey’s got that ‘leave me alone, I’ll do it myself,’ mindset.”

There was something else that stood out to Dunn about Joey.