Adopted and foster children made long-lasting memories as they experienced the great outdoors Saturday.
The Callaway County chapter of the Midwest Foster Care and Adoption Association (MFCAA), a non-profit organization, hosted a fishing excursion for adopted and foster children and their parents and guardians.
This was with the help of the Callaway County United Way, which awarded its $1,000 Community Enhancement Grant to MFCAA for supplies for the day such as lunches and educational kits.
"Our whole mission is giving kids a brighter future and that's what (Callaway County United Way) did for us," MFCAA President Nabrina Evans said.
Rangers from the Missouri Department of Conservation were available to guide children through fishing and shooting bows and arrows.
The event, Evans said, is the children's "biggest memory for the year," and for some, it was their first fishing experience.
For children who were neglected or abused, this was a safe event for them to be care free, she added.
"They don't have to worry about anything," Evans said. "It's all about them."
Parents and children in the program meet once a month, which gives parents an opportunity to share stories and give one another advice. Saturday's event allowed the children to grow closer, Fulton parent Melanie Stotler said.
"This is really a chance for the kids to bond together as well," Stotler said.
For New Bloomfield parent Tim Lock, he enjoyed watching the children not hooked to the TV or video games as they played, fished and laughed on his property - acres of open land that included the fishing lake.
While Lock and his family, he said, can enjoy the space any time, that's not the case for many of the children - especially the foster children.
"I think it's wonderful to give then this opportunity ... some have never had before," Lock said.