TINIAN — Tasi To Table president Gene Weaver and secretary Derik Reyes Jr. presented Daiwa fishing rod & reel combos, including lines, hooks, tackle boxes and handbooks, to 14 Tinian high school students on Saturday, June 26, 2021 at Kammer Beach.
Witnessing the presentation were Tinian Mayor Edwin P. Aldan, Municipal Council Chairman Joseph E. Santos, other island officials and Tasi to Table Tinian advisers.
Mayor Aldan said he has “never been shy of supporting youth programs and I believe this is one very important program — teaching kids how to fish. It’s something that us, as islanders, have to learn.”
Reyes said it was Tasi To Table vice president Wayne Pangelinan who informed the Tinian Municipal Council about the youth program.
The council members immediately expressed their support, Reyes added.
Their chairman, Joseph Santos, commended Tasi to Table for “being instrumental in giving our students the experience of their lives — something that will make an impact on their future.”
He then told the participating students: “I hope each of you will cherish, respect and truly appreciate our elders’ way of life which included fishing. And please share your experience with your peers on Tinian. We are moving forward with future programs involving Tasi To Table.”
The group’s Tinian program is for four months only, but the island’s officials want to see it extended to eight months.
On Tinian, Tasi to Table is also teaching participating students life lessons and skills.
“Whether it be mental health, teen pregnancy, conservation of your resources — we are here to teach,” Weaver said.
“I want to thank everyone for allowing us to come here and support our program. We are all about the youth. To teach them skills. We’re passing down our knowledge to you, the youth,” he added.
He noted that the program also provides students with elective class credits.
For her part, municipal council secretary Juanita Mendiola advised the participating students to “cherish the tools that [Tasi to Table has] given to you. Please use them and learn…. We all need to work together as a community, a team….”
Nikita Mendiola, Tinian Jr./Sr. High School principal, said “there is nothing greater a person can do for the youth than empowering them.”
Tasi to Table also plans to implement its student program on Rota.
Tasi To Table Tinian members pose with the island’s municipal council members and Mayor Edwin Aldan on Saturday, June 26, at Kammer Beach, Tinian.
Tinian Mayor of Tinian Edwin P. Aldan hands a gift certificate to one of the high school students who also received a rod and reel combo from Tasi To Table.
Tasi To Table president Gene Weaver shares a few words.
