Working Is Most Beautiful

William grew up in Miami in a rough area. William’s father ran a fish business in the Florida Keys, and William helped with it. Fishing was a huge part of their life. His father always said, “Fishing is so peaceful, and it is like an escape.”

Inspired by his father. William founded a nonprofit fishing organization in Lakeland, Florida, which took many kids on fishing trips. Its purpose was to instruct poor kids without their fathers’ company through the sport of fishing.

During the weekdays, William worked as a tire salesman. On weekends, he and a few other volunteers, mostly people from his workshop, took about 20 kids out to fish in the nearby river at a time. To make the kids enjoy fishing safely and happily, he previously led his staff in professional training in fishing and boating.

William went to local homes himself to invite the kids to go fishing. Many had never been fishing or even on a boat, so William. or Big Will, as the kids call him, started by teaching the basics. Then came the life lessons that fishing offered: patience, teamwork and the simple joy of relaxing outdoors. The fishing organization took more than 600 fishing trips with almost 2,000 kids who lacked their fathers’ company in their lives.

Of course, William’s great kindness was widely recognized in society. When William explained his mission to Captain Jack, who was in charge of a boat in Clearwater, Captain Jack offered him a great deal. Then the nonprofit fishing organization paid less money to spend weekends on the boat. The kids were inspired to release little fish. On a recent trip with kids from a group home, William kept some big fish and enjoyed delicious fish soup with the kids at dinner.

William kept searching the neighborhood for kids in need and sharing his love of fishing with the kids. He said, “I just want to show them that I care about them and that I’m there for them.” Many kids went on multiple trips, so William was able to build relationships with them.

One day, William noticed his eight-year-old neighbor, Camron, sitting sadly in front of his door.

Big Will’s reputation was growing, and the nonprofit fishing organization attracted more sponsors besides Captain Jack.

The children’s journey began when they were flying with their mom from the village of Araracuara, to San Jose del Guaviare to visit their father. Their small plane had engine trouble, and crashed in the rainforest. Sadly, all three adults on the plane died, including the children’s mother.

This left the four children alone in the jungle. The oldest child was a 13-year-old girl. Next came a 9-year-old, a 4-year-old, and an 11-month-old baby. The children are members of the Indigenous Huitoto tribe (土著部落). The Huitotos live in the Amazon rainforest, so the children were familiar with some of the plants and fruits that could be found there.

At first, the children lived off flour made from plant roots. They had found the flour in the airplane ruins. When they ran out of flour, the children used their knowledge of the forest’s fruits and seeds to survive. Luckily, it was a time when many rainforest plants were producing fruits.

As soon as the plane went down, people started searching to see if anyone survived. After two weeks, the plane was found. The people searching found signs that the children might still be alive.

Rescue teams flew in helicopters and dropped boxes of food, hoping the children would find them. But they couldn’t see the ground because the forest was so thick. The helicopters even played a recorded message from the children’s grandmother, encouraging the kids to avoid moving around.

Over 150 soldiers were sent out with dogs to search on the ground. These teams left whistles around, hoping the children would find them and use them to make noise. Around 70 Indigenous volunteers also helped search. They saw all kinds of animals. However, what they didn’t spot were the kids, who were apparently scared by the soldiers and spent much of their time hiding from them.

At different points in time, the rescue teams found signs of the children.

After more than a month, the searchers finally found the children.