DEAL ISLAND, MD — The Fisher of Men foundation is taking its first steps toward rebuilding after losing its addiction recovery retreat to a fire. Community volunteers and Fisher of Men gathered Friday morning to clear debris off Frank’s Island, where the foundation hosts its retreats.
"It's a relief," foundation co-founder Frank Parks said. "I feel like we're finally making progress."
Among the volunteers was Dennis Collins, who helped build the original retreat early on in his recovery. Collins said his life changed for the better when he first came to the island six years ago but that returning for the first time since the fire stirred up bittersweet emotions.
"I stepped on this island for the first time with me, Frank and Russ," Collins said. "Now Russ is no longer with us ... it just hurt."
Despite the painful reflection of loss, Collins said he is excited about the potential for the rebuilding process to help others the way it helped him.
"Like I'm serving a new purpose here now to take on and kind of mentor the young kids," Collins said.
Parks said that transporting the debris across the water from Franks Island to Deal Isalnd took some logistical coordination in the days leading up to the clean up.
"You can only get material off and on when the tides are up," Parks said. "When the tides are down you just have to sit and wait."
WBOC previously reported that the Fisher of Men Foundation recieved a commitment to match $25,000 dollars of donations. Parks said they did meet that threshold and have now surpassed $50,000 worth of donations but are aiming to raise $100,000 toward the rebuild.
"We did have insurance and it's coming through but it's not going to replace everything we lost unfortunately," Parks said. "We're going to need all the help and support we can get."
Parks said donations of time are just as valuable as monetary donations and directs anyone looking for additional information on how to support to the foundation website.
The first Fisher of Men retreat of 2025 is scheduled for March 21st. Parks said that despite the loss of their buildings, all planned retreats for the year will continue.