SDIA to Participate in NYC’s “Tunnel to Towers Foundation Race” and Announce 2016 PTSD Awareness Campaign
Last week Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) announced that we are putting together a team to run/walk the "Tunnel to Towers Foundation Race" (T2T) in New York City on Sunday, September 27, 2015. Our hope is to have as many of our members, volunteers and supporters from across the United States participate in this event as we prepare to launch a nationwide PTSD Awareness Campaign in 2016.
With SDIA members from all disciplines – military, law enforcement, fire & rescue, and EMS – we are more aware than most organizations of the devastating impact Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, can have on the life of a veteran or first responder injured in combat or the line of duty. Our members and their families have first-hand knowledge of the difficulties associated with PTSD, including its misconceptions and stigmas. SDIA’s team running the Tunnel to Towers race will first and foremost honor Stephen Siller and the military and first responders who gave their...
SDIA & FLEOA Join Forces to Strengthen Assistance to Officers
As a nonprofit organization founded to give back to our nation’s “Sheep Dogs” – the men and women who bravely make up the ranks of our military and first responder professions – Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) is honored to announce a new partnership with the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association (FLEOA). “It is a natural alliance,” said SDIA’s founder and President, SgtMaj Lance Nutt. “Our mission is to provide assistance to all those who have served or are currently serving our country and communities to keep us safe on a daily basis.” That includes military personnel as well as first responders – law enforcement, fire & rescue, and EMS. “We couldn’t think of a better way to align ourselves with the federal law enforcement community than to partner with FLEOA,” he added. Nathan Catura, FLEOA’s National Executive Vice President, agrees. “Our members look to us to provide them with assistance with legal matters,” he said. “It seems fitting to join...
New SDIA Teams & Chapter
We are thrilled to announce that our Kansas Team officially launched as an SDIA Chapter on Sat., April 11! The Team was formed in April 2014 and has steadily increased their membership and dedication to helping their fellow Sheep Dogs, earning them the opportunity to become a full-fledged SDIA Chapter. To learn more about them, visit their new website and their Facebook page. Congrats, Kansas Chapter!
Equally exciting is the news that two SDIA teams recently held interest/informational meetings to help attract members to get their teams rolling – and there are more coming! If you are in the North Texas area and are interestedin joining the team, please contact Jeff Grubb at jeff@jlgrubb.com or 817-239-3759.
For those interested in SDIA in the Arkansas River Valley, please contact Ron Redding at ronredding66@gmail.com or 479-438-0768.
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SDIA Spring 2015 Hunt
Another great bi-annual Sheep Dog Hunt is in the books! Hunting at Turkey Ranch in NW Texas never disappoints, and our hosts (Broadway Contracting and ProTrucks of Siloam Springs, Arkansas) always deliver one of the best experiences around. But for our sponsored combat wounded vets and first responders injured in the line of duty, it's more than just a hunt for wild boar and other critters. Participating in the hunt allows them the opportunity to relax and be themselves around others who have survived similar experiences, and that’s hard to find for most of them. Whether hunting, target shooting, or another unique adventure, the chance to bond with fellow Sheep Dogs and supporters is priceless. During this hunt, we honored the service and sacrifice of SSG Zach Pryor (US Army), CPL Sebastian Gallegos (USMC), SGT Matthew Melancon (US Army), and MAJ Drew Gilchrist (USMC). Their dedication and commitment to our nation is to be commended, and the blood, sweat, and limbs...
SDIA Deploys Disaster Response Team to Northern Illinois
Tornado season is upon us, and for Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) that means being ready to hit the road with chainsaws, tarps and able bodies to assist communities in need at a moment’s notice. On Friday, April 10, at 4:00PM, that’s exactly what happened. SDIA deployed a team of six Northwest Arkansas members and volunteers who headed north to Illinois to help the community of Kirkland, one of a few areas ravaged by tornadoes. Once in northern Illinois, the NWA team met up with other SDIA members from Illinois, Wisconsin, Missouri and Tennessee and went to find people to help. Following the path of the tornado, the team saw areas that were virtually untouched – like a mobile home park in Rochelle – as well as areas with larger homes that were completely destroyed. Finding the Kirkland neighborhood gave the SDIA team the opportunity to assist residents by clearing downed trees, covering leaking windows and roofs, and talking with its...
SDIA Presents PTSD Service Dog to Bentonville Veteran, Dan Moss
Since returning home after serving 24 years and three combat tours in the U.S. Army, veteran Dan Moss has struggled in his transition to civilian life. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD, has had a dramatic negative impact on his day-to-day life. But that is beginning to change. In the ten days since Moss was presented with Justice, a rescued 1-1/2 year old German shepherd trained as a PTSD Service Dog, improvements have occurred at a regular rate. Moss’s wife, Judy, noticed that after only a few days with Justice, her husband showed fewer signs of hyper vigilance at the presentation ceremony. “Dan was able to stand almost the entire ceremony with his back to the door,” she said. “That NEVER happens.” Moss has noticed other ways Justice is helping him. “It hasn’t been without some stress [adjusting to each other],” he explained. “That in itself helps because it gives me a single focal point, so I’m not constantly surveying the environment –...
SDIA’s First Upland Game Bird Hunt
The weekend of March 27-29, 2015, boasted beautiful weather and excellent hunting conditions, and Bethel Ranch in north Texas provided the perfect location for a successful Upland Game Bird Hunt for Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) and sponsored participants Officer JR Boggs, Cpl. Cody Jones and Cpl. Sebastian Gallegos. JR Boggs, a police officer for Pasadena ISD in Texas, was a first responder sponsored to participate in the hunt. “It was an amazing experience,” he said. “Knowing that others – who I hadn’t even met yet – cared about me enough to give me a weekend away…it was astonishing.” Boggs was already looking forward to the hunt, but after responding to an early morning, horrific accident earlier that week, the timing could not have been any better. “The call came in at 7:15am,” he said. “15 minutes before my shift, while I was dropping off my 4-year-old son and almost 5-year-old daughter at preschool.” Boggs...
SDIA’S 3RD ANNUAL CHARITY BALL A HUGE SUCCESS
Sheep Dogs of the Year Honored, Nearly $16,000 Raised for Veteran/First Responder ProgramsRogers, AR (February 25, 2015) – The 3rd Annual Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) Charity Ball was held on Saturday, February 14, 2015, at the Embassy Suites in Rogers. Over 250 people attended the formal fundraising event, including SDIA members and volunteers, sponsors, military and first responders, as well as the general public. Nearly $16,000 was raised during the evening; all proceeds will fund SDIA’s disaster relief missions and Sheep Dog in Need programs throughout 2015. The Charity Ball’s special guests included two Combat Wounded Veterans: speaker Sgt Matthew Melancon, and guest of honor Cpl Nick Perales. Following the opening ceremonies and a performance by the Ozark Highlanders Pipe Band, Sgt Melancon spoke to attendees about his life prior to his injuries, joining the Army, the IED attack that eventually claimed both his lower legs, and the subsequent lessons learned from being a bilateral amputee. His speech brought both...
2015 SDIA Charity Ball To Honor Heroes
If you’re looking for a unique way to treat yourself or your significant other this Valentine’s Day, Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) has just the event for you! SDIA is proud to announce that their 3rd Annual Charity Ball will be on Sat., Feb. 14, 2015, at the Embassy Suites in Rogers, Arkansas, giving you the opportunity to dress up, dine and dance with your sweetheart, and help us honor our nation's Sheep Dogs - society's protectors, the men and women who have served or are currently serving in our military and first responder professions.The Ball’s special guest speakers are Cpl Nick Perales and Sgt Matthew Melancon, both Combat Wounded Veterans. Texas native Corporal Nick Perales served six years as a U.S. Marine Corps scout sniper and served two tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. In February 2011, he was hit by an improvised explosive device (IED) incident where he sustained numerous injuries that resulted in a below-the-knee amputation of his right...
SDIA Makes Christmas Come True For More Than 230 Children Of Military and First Responders
SDIA Makes Christmas Come True For More Than 230 Children Of Military and First Responders What an amazing accomplishment this year by our many SDIA members, volunteers, and supporters. Due to the effort of so many giving and caring people, we were able to make Christmas wishes come true for more than 230 children. All of which, have parents who are currently serving, or have served, in the military, law enforcement, fire & rescue, or ems services, and are struggling with financial difficulties this Holiday Season. As part of this year’s Christmas Outreach efforts, SDIA Chapters and Teams across the country found unique ways to bring Christmas to life for the children of Sheep Dogs everywhere. SDIA members in multiple locations, like New York, North Carolina, Tennessee, South Carolina, Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, Virginia, and more, went above and beyond this year in an effort to make our efforts a success. “Our Christmas Outreach recipients are Sheep Dog families who are struggling...