Hunters Helping Soldiers: Bringing the outdoors to veterans everywhere

Dale Proud and Scott Campbell

I can't take credit for finding this charity - my husband Dave did all the work! Thanks, honey!

Scott Campbell looks like any other Delaware outdoorsman. I can easily imagine him fishing our state's many estuaries, or hunting rabbit in the local woods. But Scott isn't just another Delaware outdoorsman. In addition to his full-time job in Loss Prevention for K-Mart, Scott is the founder of Hunters Helping Soldiers (HHS), and his compassion for veterans is shaping a new movement across the nation from right here in Delaware.

A lifelong hunter from a long line of military men (he can trace his family back to the Spanish-American War), Scott was unhappy with the way veterans were living - and dying. The suicides and homelessness bothered him immensely. Knowing his own passion for the outdoors, he decided to raise money to pay for veterans to go on hunting trips at local outfitters. Hunters Helping Soldiers is dedicated to helping wounded soldiers and combat veterans to get involved in outdoor activities. Since January 2010, Scott has worked to reach out to veterans who need their help. Scott started out on Facebook, posting notices about local hunts with local outfitters. People in Delaware began donating hunting trips. Dale, a Smyrna resident (yay, Smyrna!), was one of them.



Vice President Jason Neilson



Dale Proud, now President of HHS, works two jobs as an insurance salesman and diesel mechanic. He is an avid waterfowler. He and his wife, who are on the Board of Directors, give more than 30 hours each per week to HHS. Dale said, "She literally has to pry my cell phone out of my hands for dinner."



Jason Neilson, Vice President (with whom I had a phone interview), has been involved since the beginning. Himself a wounded veteran, medically retired, Jason was an Army MP in Baghdad in 2005 when he was shot by a sniper in his right flank. The shot hit his femoral artery and he nearly bled out. The surrounding nerve tissue was damaged, causing paralysis. Jason has been rehabilitating, but joined HHS to give back to his fellow veterans. "At first, after my injury, you'd think I'd be happy to be alive; but I wanted to get better to serve with my family [his fellow soldiers]. I had guilty feelings. It finally took an organization to get me back out hunting and fishing." Jason says, "The thrills you get from hunting helps replace the feeling of being in battle." Once he got back on his feet and began to enjoy the outdoors, "That's when you start being thankful for being alive."

Since January 2010, HHS has coordinated trips for veterans all over the United States. Their goals are big, but they're making headway.

1. Take 200 veterans a year hunting/fishing
2. Hold veteran/family camping trips
3. Open new chapters all over the U.S.
4. Open lodges all over the U.S. for veterans
5. Hold several kids' camps
6. Build handicap-accessible blinds
7. Get as many vets involved as possible



SSG. Dave "DOC" Green

One veteran, SSG. Dave Green, had numerous brain tumors. His one wish was to hunt elk. Because he couldn't travel alone, HHS made arrangements to include Dave's mother in the trip. They raised funds to fly his mom from Oregon to Dave's home in Texas, then flew them both to Colorado. During their flight, Dale and Scott got word from the Colorado outfitter that they could no longer accommodate Dave. The HHS board "scrambled" to find a new outfitter before Dave and his mom landed. After they found an outfitter, they had to figure out transportation for Dave to the site. The owner left her day job, drove two hours to pick up Dave and his mother, and took him straight to the hunting outfit. That evening, Dave shot his elk. HHS even paid to have the animal dressed and tanned, and Dave spent the rest of the trip sightseeing in Colorado with his mother. "It was a $2,500 trip," Dale said. I get the feeling that to Dave, the trip was worth much more than that.



Ssg. Levandowski



HHS's board is also their all-volunteer staff. 100% of their contributions go directly to veterans' trips. "We haven't wanted to [retain] a paid staff yet," said Dale, "because we want all of our funds to go into these trips." There are 7 people on the board. One of them, another dedicated volunteer, works three part-time jobs. "Whenever we call him, he's at work," Dale laughs, but his admiration is obvious. Two board members are veterans who have also benefitted from the group's mission. The board has even bigger plans, including paying for trained hunting dogs for veterans, paying for camps for fallen soldiers, and even hosting waterfowl retrievals with dogs and teens. They've even found a local man who obtains donated boats, fixes them, and gives them to veterans.

Here's the really cool part: HHS chapters are popping up all over the U.S. With their careful cultivation, a new chapter has opened in Pittsburgh. Others (which can't be named here because they will be announced shortly) are opening in the coming weeks. By the end of the year, Scott and Dale expect there will be 15 to 18 chapters in place. If that doesn't make you want to jump up and down, there's something wrong with you.

What has this meant for them? Scott says this is "a way to give back to those who have already given us so much." Dale says HHS has represented a real change in his life - he sees his wife and kids getting involved. "It's brought us closer together... it's great giving back." Jason says this is a way for him to feel he is able to give back to his fellow soldiers. "This pushes you past the limits of what you think you can do. For me, it worked better than physical therapy, it was emotional and physical."


Sgt. David Guzman



So, what will my ten bucks pay for? "Ten bucks could buy a local veteran a fishing license he couldn't normally afford," said Scott, "That gives him the freedom to fish for a whole year." If others gave their ten bucks, Dale said, "Hunting season's coming up. 100% of those donations will be put right back into hunting trips for veterans."

Right now, HHS is seeking raffle items, corporate sponsors and partnerships, donations of hunting supplies, hunting outfitters (to donate hunts), and volunteers. They also produce a newsletter and are developing a magazine, so they're looking for articles from veterans and people who love the outdoors. They also need people to pass the word along because they're not able to reach veterans through the military or VA hospitals. Luckily, VFW posts are happy to cooperate to get the word out. On November 20th (my anniversary), Hunters Helping Soldiers will be hosting their second "November to Remember" fundraiser, which is their largest fundraising event. They can't party too late, because goose season opens the next day, and they'll be taking 50 people out on a hunt.

Although I don't hunt (and needed Scott and Dale to define some of the terms they used), I can't argue with the therapeutic value of being outdoors. HHS is making outdoor activities possible - and fun - for hundreds of veterans each year. The benefits, as Jason says, are immense. "Just get out there and do it. It won't be the same, but you can still do it."

The best way to donate to Hunters Helping Soldiers is to donate on their website http://www.huntershelpingsoldiers.org/ or mail a check to Hunters Helping Soldiers, 32 South Main Street, Smyrna DE 19977. "Like" them on Facebook and help them spread the word! They also have an online magazine called "The Outdoor Warrior." http://www.theoutdoorwarrior.us/

My ten bucks matters, and so does yours. My guess is we are helping to fund a nationwide movement.

The emotions of My Ten Bucks

I tend to be the person that others go to when they want to talk - even when they don't know me, and I don't know them. It happens everywhere I go, especially when I tell them what I do for a living. My husband says I have a sign on my forehead that says, "Talk to me."

But now, as a "freelance writer/reporter/blogger", I am looking for these experiences so that I can pass them on to you. Sometimes it is really hard to serve as this sort of medium. I never knew how "in control" I would have to be to listen, take notes, and write, while my emotions are surging around inside me. I chose a subject so very close to my heart that it is difficult to remain objective. So I don't try. When I feel myself about to well up with tears, I have to push myself to keep listening so that I get these stories right.

Furthermore, as I continue to work through this project, I realize that the only way to produce the right piece is to let the people and their missions just shine through. I'm just a filter, a window, a duct. I have to do the best darn writing I can to make myself transparent.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that this is a heck of a project. I'm challenging my own capabilities as a writer. But this isn't the kind of challenge I intend to lose. It's the kind that makes me a better person, makes me grow, and eventually, may give me my own story to tell.

Why does my opinion count?

I really like to observe groups of people, government, or political activities. At some point, I might have realized that the deep interest I have in these topics could combine in a speciality in sociology.

Sociology
so·ci·ol·o·gy  noun /ˌsōsēˈäləjē/
1. The study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society
2. The study of social problems

In 2010, I read 52 books as part of my blog "The Ardent Reader" (http://www.theardentreader.blogspot.com/) and it was interesting how frequently I went back to the same genre in the library: social science and/or sociology. No one subject was quite as magnetic. I could nearly give up nonfiction completely, for one reason: The truth is stranger - and often more interesting - than fiction.

My Ten Bucks is a social project as much as a philanthropic one. It is a year-long study of people and organizations that actively address social issues within a very narrow demographic. Delaware is a relatively small state with a population at around 900,000 people. Of our citizens, nearly 200,000 people are Medicare/Medicaid recipients. (That means that nearly a quarter of Delaware's population is poor enough to receive government support.)

The charities profiled within this blog are filling in holes that they came across. They all, in some way, provide benefits and services that their consumers would not be able to purchase for themselves. These executive directors cultivate the resources of their communities in order to provide a necessary service or product those less fortunate. It could be artistic expression, technology, health resources, or education.

Growing up with deep roots in my Philadelphia community, I was nurtured by local charity programs. The Philadelphia Free Library and its Summer Reader's Club, Schuylkill Valley Nature Center, Galilee Baptist Church, Kendrick Recreation Center, Strawberry Mansion Art Camp, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Franklin Institute, Roxborough Area Christian Camp, the Manayunk-Roxborough Art Center (its new name), and the various churches at which I participated... these nonprofit programs enriched my life and changed the way I look at the world forever.

Grassroots nonprofits come up with creative strategies for continued social progress and personal enrichment despite personal or economical challenges. That's why I love charities so much: they believe that people have inherent worth, and they work to enhance that worth. When quality of life is in question for their neighbors and friends, true heroes emerge.

So, why does my opinion matter? For the same reason that yours does. I am part of a free society and I believe that people can overcome enormous odds and challenge social injustice if they are provided with the opportunity to do so.

MTB Challenge: Put less distance between you and your donations

I challenge you to make the decision to donate locally, and with purpose.

There are few national charities that are able to bring in millions and millions of dollars. Most of them use it to help the people they serve. Case in point: St. Jude's Hospital for Children. According to Charity Navigator, they raise $829 million dollars a year, but their functional expenses are $787 million. http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm?bay=search.summary&orgid=12847  Here's their 990. http://www.stjude.org/SJFile/fy09_form990_stjude.pdf. There's nothing wrong with raising loads of money... but St. Jude's tells me what they're doing. And they aren't rubbing it in anyone's face or filing lawsuits with people who use their "terminology". They're too busy showing us pictures of kids who are receiving free medical treatment.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation is, in my opinion, on the opposite end of this spectrum. I want breast cancer to be cured,  but I have Pink Ribbon Fatigue. Check out this blog article from the New York Times in October. http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/10/11/pink-ribbon-fatigue/ I want to know what this organization is doing to help breast cancer survivors. We see a lot of people running. We see "Pink Warriors" and women gathering to raise funds. Pink is fun, but pink isn't curing anything. According to this article, 40,000 women each year are still dying from breast cancer, and that number hasn't shown a decrease no matter how much "research" and "awareness" money SGK raises.* (For those who don't know why this irks me so much, 50,000 people die each year from Traumatic Brain Injury - TBI - and 130,000 people die from strokes. That adds up to 180,000 people dying from brain injury, which, in many cases, is preventable.)

*Revised 2023 - Susan G. Komen funds many grants that pay for free mammograms and breast ultrasounds for women from low income families. 

Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, the Susan G. Komen Foundation raised $129 million in 2007. http://ww5.komen.org/uploadedFiles/Content_Binaries/2007-2008_Form990GroupReturn.pdf. In 2009, they raised $172 million. http://ww5.komen.org/uploadedFiles/Content/AboutUs/Financial/Final%20Group%20990%20PDC.pdf. But the Susan G. Komen Foundation doesn't show a reinvestment back into my community. Have you ever heard of anyone being treated at the Susan B. Komen Free Women's Breast Cancer Clinic? I haven't either. Don't you think it's time we did?

My Challenge to Donors
Instead of donating to a gargantuan, faceless nonprofit organization, open your local newspaper. Chances are you'll see a women's auxiliary or a boy scout troop collecting cans of food for your neighbors who need them. You may see local breast cancer groups (yes, they do exist!) that provide direct programs and services to local breast cancer survivors. You'll see women teaching expectant teen moms how to diaper newborns. Pick a charity. Make an appointment to drop off a donation. You'll see the people that run the organization, and they will take your contributions with a smile and a hug, then reinvest it into programs that directly impact the overall value of your community. They may ask you to help them. You will be inspired by their energy and gratitude. And when you want to know what they did with your money, you just have to stop by, or take a look around you.

They're right under your nose. Go find them.

MTB Special Report: Students Overcome Challenges, Receive Awards at UCP's Diamond Dinner

The Diamond Dinner, even when it's held on perhaps the dreariest night of the year, makes you feel warm all over.



On Friday, April 8, my husband Dave and I traveled to the Wilmington Elks Lodge to attend the 6th Annual Diamond Dinner, hosted by United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware (UCP). The cozy main room was filled with pastel balloons, an array of colorful tablecloths, and jelly bean centerpieces. Our friend, Don Moore (Director of the Client Assistance Program of UCP, Delaware), saved us seats near the food. He invited me to cover the Diamond Dinner as a My Ten Bucks Special Report.



Tashay (middle) with Coach Gail
(left) and Betty Pinkett (right)



As I looked around the room, I watched people embrace, smile, laugh, and ask about family members. I saw a few familiar faces - some of Delaware's biggest disability advocates - and easily got caught up in the excitement. Pictures of athletes ran on a slide show at the front of the room, and a podium, emblazened with the words "Brotherly Love", seemed poignant in the context.


The Diamond Dinner is an annual event hosted by UCP to honor local high school student athletes and bestow upon them awards and (in some cases) $500 scholarships. The event costs just $25 per person. Students nominated for the Diamond Dinner receive awards for their hard work through challenging situations - whether they be related to a disability or a family tragedy - or in some cases, both. 

Bob Reed and our friend, Don Moore
(Executive Director of CAP, a UCP program)

Before the dinner, I descended upon guests at random to find out why they were there. Kenn Gardner, a gray-haired gentleman, husband to board member Trina Gardner, told me that he had been a member of UCP's board for more than 15 years. He told me that UCP "really supports people with physical disabilities" and he is proud to be a part of the event as it honors outstanding achievements.

  

UCP Executive Director (right)
Bill McCool and Kaz Sortino

I used the last two minutes of cocktail hour to talk to Betty Pinkett, whose gold scarf caught my eye. What does the Diamond Dinner meant to her? I thought I saw a tear in her eye. "This is my first time at the dinner," she said, "I'm here with my granddaughter Tashay [Shay], nominated by her coach, Gail Morris. She's had a hard past two years. In 2009, Shay lost her grandfather, then her mother within the month." Ms. Pinkett said she's been raising Shay and her younger sister. Shay has two brothers, being raised by their father. "Basketball's so important to her." I asked Shay, "Where are you going to college?" Shay's eyes lit up, "Del Tech," she said, "I'm going for nursing." I wished her good luck in her studies as I heard the master of ceremonies begin.



Mark VanderHaar of WDEL/WSTW mc'd the event. He soon introduced Donna Hopkins, President of UCP, and afterward, we were treated to the Delaware Military Academy Color Guard and a beautiful rendition of the Star Spangled Banner sung by Vernita Dorsey. Next came Kaz Sortino, himself an alumnus of the Diamond Dinner, a senior student at the Delaware Military Academy, and a counselor at UCP's Camp Monito. Kaz was an excellent speaker, especially for his age. I was jealous, having struggled with a terrible fear of public speaking since I can remember. Kaz, a cross country runner with cerebral palsy, has volunteered with UCP for more than five years. During his speech, he encouraged the nominees "to take the same drive you have for sports and pour it into something else... and the world will be a better place." He looked around the room, "You're special, you're uniqure and you have what it takes."



Five of the seven Award Winners





 Here's a list of the 2011 Award Winners. 

$500 Victory Scholarship Award

Ian Day, 12th grade, Sussex Tech HS

Amanda Gustafson, 9th grade, Christiana HS

Sarah Hoye, 11th grade, Smyrna HS

Profile in Courage Award

Zachary King, 12th grade, Appoquinimink HS
Tonisha Murray, 9th grade, Newark HS

Nichole Thomas, 12th grade, William Penn HS

Tashay Wilmore, 12th grade, Newark HS


Later, as I interviewed Kaz, I wished that I had been half as smart and intuitive at his age (18). He's been accepted to York College in PA to study early childhood and special education. He's the recipient of the Presidential Scholarship. I asked him to tell me what UCP meant to him. "I learned a lot from the campers [at Monito], I learned patience." Kaz has a big goal. "I've watched over the years how the camp is shrinking, from eight weeks to six, then to four." At 16, he sat down with the Assistant Director at UCP and started working out how they could strengthen the camp. He and his friends were able to get a heater for the camp's pool. "I have CP, [with that comes] spastic diaplegia." I wasn't sure what that meant. He said, "I get shaky when I'm cold. Imagine the kids that are worse than I am." He's working on his own personal goal: to raise $5,000 for UCP's camp.



Immaculata University's
Christian Zwickert



UCP is doing big things. They have worked to raise $1.8 million for Garrett House, which is affordable, accessible housing for people with disabilities. UCP's motto is "Life without limits for people with disabilities." They want people to live their lives fully - with or without disabilities.

 

 

Christian Zwickert and the
Immaculata Lacrosse Team



The final speaker, Christian Zwickert, is the Head Coach of Men's Lacrosse at Immaculata University. Christian had a massive showing from his team; the whole right side of the room was wearing blue pullovers with the university's emblem. Christian spoke about his experience as the father of Collin, who has cerebral palsy. He and his wife struggled to care for their child with a severe disability with very little in the way of professional advice. He began a lacrosse tournament to raise money to help pay for his child's medical care. A most memorable donation came from a boy that sent $25.00 - two weeks' allowance - to help. (You know I loved that one.) Christian received great support from the lacrosse community, and dedicated a portion of the proceeds to UCP. He's been a board member of UCP since 2008 and is working to increase the tournament's fundraising income. He knows the value of UCP.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to cover the Diamond Dinner as part of My Ten Bucks. My husband and I met amazing people who overcame really difficult obstacles. Until you hear their stories for yourself, you cannot comprehend the strength that these individuals have needed to live a life without limits.



Esther & Katherine McCool



I personally feel that this is a worthwhile organization to donate to, and was glad to pay $50 for our tickets. Dave and I will probably attend every year. The best way to make you donation is to send a check to UCP at 700A River Road, Wilmington DE 19809.

Thank you, Don Moore and Bill McCool (the coolest name ever), for inviting us to meet the people who make UCP so special.

My ten (or fifty) bucks matters, and so does yours.
 
Photos by Corey S. Burris of "Picture That". Go to http://www.picturethatfilms.com/.