DAPHNE, Ala. — Cpl. Donald Bettner remembers hunting and fishing as favorite pastimes of his childhood and he credits the activities as ways to keep young people occupied.

His love of fishing prompted Bettner to plan a fishing excursion for special needs children more than 10 years ago, and he has been teaching children the simple joy of angling ever since.

“I was born and raised on a fishing camp. I fished my whole life and hunted. Fishing and hunting are the most important thing you could take a child to do,” Bettner said.

He shares his love of fishing every year with local special needs students. He said the fishing trip is fun for the students, but they also learn prior to and during the event.

“They are going to learn about fishing. I talked to one of the teachers today and they are showing them books on fish, different species of fish, what they look like. Some of these kids have never been fishing,” Bettner said, and he wants to give them the opportunity to have that experience at least once. “I think it is going to enlighten their education and show them some stuff that they have probably never seen before.”

Bettner said sharing the joys of fishing with these students will give them another outlet for their free time. Fishing, Bettner said, is a productive activity and preferable to other activities these students could be involved in, including crime and drugs.

“If you can get them involved in fishing and hunting then you don’t have to worry about them getting involved in other things because they are either going to be gone fishing or they will be gone hunting in the woods in the wintertime,” Bettner said. “At least that is the way my three boys are.”

The day isn’t just about fishing, Bettner said. He hopes the event creates a positive memory for the students and shows them people care about them.

“Once I take them they never forget,” Bettner said. “Even kids who have graduated see me out on the street and come up and give me a big hug and talk about the fishing trip. It is a lifetime memory for them.”

Bettner said he has been taking students fishing for so long he can’t remember how he got involved with it, but he plans to keep taking students fishing for years to come.

All of the students attending the fishing excursion this year are students in the special needs program at Daphne High School and Daphne East Elementary School.

The students will fish along with their teachers and Bettner at a private lake in Baldwin County. The students will use cane poles donated by Scott’s Landing and crickets for bait, donated by Baldwin Baits.

The students will bring their catch back to school with them, clean them and have a fish fry.