On River Time’s 12th Annual Casting Hope, presented by CommerceOne Bank, was a powerful night to help children of abuse and neglect find healing, hope, and a brighter future. On River Time is a Birmingham-based nonprofit that partners with group children’s homes, including Big Oak Ranch in Alabama, to serve the young people in their care. Without intervention, the invisible scars of trauma: abuse, neglect, and abandonment can become generational cycles of poverty, addiction, and broken relationships.
This year’s Casting Hope featured Lauren Sisler, ESPN sideline reporter and author of “Shatterproof”, as the keynote speaker. Lauren’s story is one of unimaginable heartbreak and unshakeable resilience. At just 18 years old, she lost both of her parents within hours of each other to drug overdoses. Lauren joined On River Time at camp in Idaho in June and shared her story with the kids while encouraging them that they, too, were not defined by their past, but have a future filled with hope.
The Casting Hope event helps to raise money for the OnRiver Time’s fly fishing camps in the American West for children living in group children’s homes, as well as year-round programming, mentoring, and scholarships.
