Some South Jersey youths will have their first opportunity to engage in fishing on Wednesday. But these aren’t typical young, summer visitors to the Shore. They’re part of NJ WAVE, Wonderful Adolescent Ventilator Excursion, and will be guests of the Ocean City Fishing Club for an outing on the fishing pier.
“It started about five or six years ago,” said Dan Michaels, an OCFC member. Michaels met the doctor who heads the WAVE program while they both worked at Shore Medical Center and
launched the annual visit to the pier. “They bring about three to twelve youths with their nurses and aides and we give them the chance to fish to the best of their abilities.”
WAVE is a summer camp for children who have medical needs such as medical ventilation, trachs, feeding tubes or daily care. It’s headed by Dr. Cynthia Papastamelos of Linwood, Medical Director of Pediatric Pulmonology at Voorhees Pediatric Facility, which sponsors NJ WAVE.
The free camp lets children experience what other youths enjoy at the shore—the beach, the boardwalk with all its attractions and just hanging out with other kids. While here, they also will venture onto to the pier where some OCFC members will meet the
group at 1 p.m. for some fishing time. Though they may be limited in their abilities, said Frank Pizzutilla, OCFC president, everyone involved gets a lot out of the program. “Some may be able to fish,” he said. “Some, maybe not. Maybe someone will only be able to
touch a fish. But we give them the chance to be part of what we do on the pier. Everyone enjoys it.”
Founded in 1913, the fishing club is the oldest, continuously operated fishing club in the nation.
