Save Our Native Species Inc.
S.O.N.S. of Lake Erie Fishing Club
(A 501 C (3) not for profit organization)

S.O.N.S. VOLUNTEERS' PICNIC

Our SONS Volunteer Appreciation picnic was held on Monday August 5th, 2024 at Shade’s Beach. This picnic is our way of thanking the over 100 volunteers for volunteering over a total of  1000 times at 51 separate activities that we have organized and sponsored since July of 2023.  If you consider that each volunteer donates about four hours’ time at each event, that’s 4000 hours total which according to standards is worth $25.00/hr. calculates equivalent to $100,000 worth of volunteer effort. All of these efforts by all of our volunteers for make club a success that it is.

There were severe weather concerns that day but thankfully there was only a short period of a slight drizzle. We lucked out again. Only 110 of our invited guests attended and each was given a new SONS of Lake Erie T-shirt.

Team Lubak under the direction of SONS director Kevin Lubak followed the tradition started by his father. Ron Lubak who acted as the caterers again this year, their planning and efforts again made for plenty of good food.

Thanks to all of our SONS directors and officers that spent hours planning, preparing and executing a great event. Thanks to Tom Pruzenski for taking the photos at the picnic.

OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEERS RECOGNIZED

SONS VOLUNTEER TOP GUNS

Every year there is a core group of SONS volunteers that consistently continue to help out and keep things going. This year there were about 100 active volunteers.  As there is in every group, there are a few individuals that go above and beyond the rest. This year we would like to recognize Rich Brine, Mary Runser and Chuck Miller for their hard work, organizational skills and dedication. Rich Brine has spent the last two years as our activities chairman and planned over 40 kids fishing outings, Mary Runser, for her help with and planning the logistics of our various activities and finally Chuck Miller for his leadership planning and organizing our veteran’s events and our Emmaus Fish Fry. They were presented with SONS of Lake Erie jacket in recognition of their efforts. We would like to also recognize Jack Bock and Joe Springer, who each spent nearly 400 hours each in their capacity as part of our hatchery crew. Jack is our hatchery manager and Joe is the jack of all trades that keeps the hatchery running in addition to their time they spend working at our many activities. Also we would like to recognize  Larry Lipinski who has spent countless hours refurbishing hundreds of donated fishing rods and reels which were distributed free of charge to different agencies as well as always being at our other activities.

There was another segment of 39 of our volunteers that were recognized for their participation many of them who spent over 100 hours volunteering. . They were as follows:

JOE  SPRINGER, JACK BOCK, DON TOMBAUGH, JOHN KRUPINSKI, RON MORROW , MARY  RUNSER,
RICH  BRINE, LARRY LIPINSKI, RALPH FRIEND, CHUCK MILLER, JACK HARTMAN,  BOB ZAWADZKI
JOHN MULLIGAN, JACK KLAPTHOR, RAY HALT. KEN MINNS, JOHN KOVACH, RICH CASS,DAVE MIKESKA, DAVE MILLER, TOM NICHOLS, JIM CHRISTENSEN   , KEITH CAUVEL,  MIKE FELEGE,  TOM PRUZENSKI, HERB KIGHTLINGER, MILDRED KIGHTLINGER, PAUL HOLTZ, BERT CAMP, MARY COSTELLO, LARRY DOLAK. D0UG KING, ED KISSELL, KATIE KRUPINSKI, MEL PERRY, JOHN RUSSELL, JERRY SKRYPZAK AND  DOUG SMITH

They were all given a SONS fleece vest in appreciation.

A special vote of thanks goes out to our officers and directors as well as their wives for the countless hours behind the scenes doing club business.

Our member volunteers are the greatest bunch of people that I have had the privilege to work with. I am so proud of what we have accomplished thanks to them and the rest of our membership.

L to R Volunteer Top Guns Mary Runser Rich Brine, Chuck Miller  Jack Bock, Joe Springer and Larry Lipinski pose with SONS Pres. Jerry Skrypzak and Tom Nichols, Program Co Chairman