“PROJECT GIVING” PROVIDES THANKSGIVING MEALS TO SHEEP DOG FAMILIES IN NEED
When times are good, it’s easy to take for granted the fact that our basic needs – and often many of our wants - are met. For families struggling during the holiday season, “little” things like a holiday meal can be replaced or foregone because of more pressing needs like paying for medical expenses and treatment, clothing needs or other necessities. SDIA is honored to be able to help many of our fellow Sheep Dog families in need by providing them with a complete Thanksgiving meal, including a turkey, ham, vegetables, and pie! Many of our Chapters and Teams - including the Northwest AR Chapter, Kansas Team, St. Louis Chapter, NY Metro Team, Eastern NC Chapter and the Houston Chapter - were able to gather donations and give fellow Sheep Dog families a delicious, traditional Thanksgiving meal this year. When all the packing & delivering was done, SDIA was able to feed more than 400 Sheep Dogs and their family members. Thank you...
SDIA’s 7th ANNUAL TURKEY TROT 5K RAISES OVER $12,000 FOR GIFTS FOR SHEEP DOG CHILDREN IN NEED
On Thanksgiving morning, over 600 people came out to participate in SDIA’s 7th Annual NWA Turkey Trot 5K, Wild Gobbler, and 1 Mile Fun-Walk at the Center for Nonprofits in Rogers, with all proceeds going to help provide toys, clothing, and necessities for the children of Sheep Dog (military and first responders) families in need this holiday season.
“Each year we have more and more run participants,” said SgtMaj Lance Nutt, SDIA’s president and founder. “That means we get to help more Sheep Dog families and children in need…and this year we have more children to help than ever before.” To date, the Northwest Arkansas Chapter of SDIA will be adopting over 130 children, with an additional 75 children nationwide. Anticipating last minute requests, SDIA will likely help more than 225 children of Sheep Dogs in need have a Christmas full of joy and excitement when they see their gifts under the Christmas tree.
Thank you to everyone who has helped Sheep...
SDIA & SKYRANCH SKYDIVING SPONSOR COMBAT WOUNDED VETERANS FOR PARACHUTE JUMPS
If you looked up in the sky over Siloam Springs, Arkansas, late in the afternoon on Sunday, October 12, 2014, you may have noticed that the sky had a few unusual fliers in it. That’s because Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) partnered with Skydive Skyranch in Siloam Springs to sponsor some Combat Wounded Veterans for tandem parachute jumps. The Veterans had both sustained significant injuries during their tours of duty, including amputation of one or both lower legs.
Weather caused the original jump date to be rescheduled, and this same weather system delayed Sunday’s fun as well. The veterans – Cpl Cody Jones (USMC) and Sgt Matthew Melancon (US Army) – and a couple of SDIA members had to wait most of the day for jump clearance. While the group waited, a BBQ and Social was held for their members, volunteers, families and friends.
For Cpl Jones, this was his first time skydiving. “It was amazing!” said Jones. “I’d always wanted to...
2014 NWA Turkey Trot 5K Charity Run & Fun Walk
Benefiting - Sheep Dog Impact Assistance and their Holiday Outreach Program
**Registration and T-shirts** Registration Fee same day as the race will be $25.00. We have shirts for the first 400 runners & wild gobblers, so register early!
Event: 2014 Turkey Trot/5K Charity Run, 1-Mile Fun Walk, and the 5K Wild Gobbler (Adventure Run and Workout - see more info below) at the Center for Nonprofits @ St Mary’s in the heart of Rogers, AR.
Register at: https://2014nwaturkeytrot.eventbrite.com
Date / Time: Thursday, November 27th, 2014, Race Start Time is 9:00 AM.
Location: Center for Non-Profits at the former St. Mary’s Hospital in Rogers, AR.
Organizers: The 2014 Turkey Trot Committee, comprised of Northwest Arkansas community volunteers and philanthropists, seek to provide a fun family event, benefiting our "Sheep Dogs" - our military, law enforcement, fire & rescue, and EMS personnel in need.
Participants: This race is open to the general public, any and all race/fun walk enthusiasts are encouraged to attend, including supporters and...
Sheep Dog Hunt
Our Fall 2014 – Sheep Dog Hunt, gave us the opportunity to honor several deserving Sheep Dogs. Combat Wounded Vets, Cpl Chris Hennan, Sgt Sergio Trejo, Sgt Eric McCarty, and Sgt Jason Shaw, joined us for an amazing weekend of hog hunting, target shooting, and other unique adventures on Turkey Creek Ranch in north Texas. This hunt would not have been possible without the outstanding support and efforts of ProTrucks and Broadway Contracting of Siloam Springs, AR. ProTrucks and Broadway Contracting sponsored every bit of the hunt. A once in a life time experience had by all in attendance. Everyone that has participated in this bi-annual hunt has raved about it, sharing multiple “trophy” stories with anyone willing to listen. All participants would agree that this is one of the best team building events SDIA has to offer. The credit for such an amazing hunt goes to the Pro Trucks and Broadway Contracting team, they go out of their way to...
SDIA’s Patriot Day Events – Huge Successes!
This year's Patriot Day events were held at various Chapters across the US, including Bentonville AR, Little Rock AR, St. Louis MO, and Houston TX. All events had great attendance and raised significant donations to increase the reach of our holiday Sheep Dog in Need programs. Through our Thanksgiving Meals program, we provide identified Sheep Dog families in need with a full Thanksgiving dinner, including a turkey, ham, sides like green beans, corn, stuffing, and pies! With our Christmas Outreach program, we adopt the children of Sheep Dog families in need and provide them with a sack full of toys, clothes and other gifts. The National Office/NWA Chapter hosted their 4th annual Patriot Day on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2014. Lance Nutt, SDIA president and founder, said, "Another successful Patriot Day is in the books! Each year we find a way to make the event bigger and better, and this year's Patriot Day was all of the above and then some. What...
SDIA SPONSORS WOUNDED VETS IN SWEDISH RACE
“Ten Island Race” Tests Veterans Mettle in Running, Kayaking and Swimming. Imagine running through the picturesque scenery of Sweden’s Gothenburg island chain (or archipelago), kayaking or swimming from island to island. Sounds like a dream adventure vacation, and for two USMC Combat Wounded Veterans, the “Ten Island Race” on August 16th, 2014, was an adventure race like no other. Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) is proud to have sponsored these warriors, Cpl. Nicholas Perales and Cpl. Sebastian Gallegos, for the race. The Ten Island Race (TIR) is a unique multi-sport event; it combines running, kayaking and swimming over and between ten islands of the Ockero municipality in the northern Gothenburg archipelago in Sweden. Teams of two moved as quickly as possible along the route to the highest point on all ten islands, traversing a total distance of 29 miles; teams ran 16 miles, kayaked 11 miles and swam just over one mile. This TIR was a test between two Swedish veteran teams...
2014 Patriot Day Events
Join us on Sept 13th, 2014, in honoring the daily service and sacrifice made by so many of our nations Sheep Dogs. Show your support for our military, law enforcement, fire & rescue, and EMS personnel. Spend the day with your family learning more about the men and women protecting us on a daily basis, and use this as an opportunity to say Thank You for their service. Patriot Day is free and open to the general public. Any proceeds raised during Patriot Day via concessions sales, and/or specific fundraising events like the Patriot Day Poker Run and PFT, will be used to support Sheep Dogs in Need during the holiday season. Please follow SDIA this Fall as we provide Thanksgiving Meals and Christmas gifts to military and first responder families in need. 2014 Patriot Day Details Date & Time: Saturday, September 13th, 2014, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM LOCATIONS: (Our national Patriot Day event will be held in Bentonville, AR, but many of our other...
Pilger, Nebraska – Disaster Relief Efforts
Our disaster relief efforts in Pilger, Nebraska have officially come to an end. As always, seeing the devastation firsthand is tough, especially when you see people struggling with the loss, but we take pride in the fact that we were able to help, wherever possible. The people of Pilger, and the surrounding area, were extremely generous in their support of the disaster relief effort, and of organizations like SDIA that were helping with the recovery process. In all, SDIA was able to deliver a truck load of bottled water and nonperishable food, tarp roofs and cover windows on multiple salvageable homes, and assist with general cleanup. As with all SDIA disaster relief efforts, we will continue to learn from our experiences in places like Pilger, NE, enhancing our support capabilities for future efforts. A BIG Thank You to the members and supporters of SDIA that helped with this disaster relief mission. For additional images of our efforts, please see https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.709756732394235.1073741846.118696028166978&type=1
2014 SDIA Heroes WOD
(Contributing story and images by Samantha Baker of NWAonline.com) Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) hosted the 2014 Heroes WOD (workout of the day) at Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, AR on June 7th. The competition was a Crossfit-based workout consisting of three stations where competitors could do the workout “RX,” as prescribed, or scaled: 1st Station â 21-15-9 reps Overhead squats KB swing Box jumps (M24″/W20″) Run 800m 2nd Station â 15-10-5 reps Sand bag squat clean Deadlifts Walking lunges w/plate overhead (M45#/W25#) (2x50m) Run 800m 3rd Station – 21-15-9 reps Slamball sit ups (M25#/W20#) Hanging power snatch Partner fireman carry (2x50m) The 1st Annual Heroes WOD also featured retired Marine Cpl. Nick Perales. Nick was injured in Feb. of 2011 when he stepped on an IED while serving in Afghanistan. He suffered several wounds, shattering his hand, hip, ankle and an amputation to the lower portion of his right leg. It was truly amazing to see Nick participating in this WOD! Such an inspiration to everyone in attendance! Nick is also a proud member of SDIA and...