Who We Are
Founded in 2010, Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) is the national non-profit providing charitable services benefiting the overall well-being of our nation’s “Sheep Dogs” (military personnel, veterans, law enforcement, fire & rescue, and EMS) through Outdoor Adventures (physical activity), Warrior PATHH training (mental wellness) and Continued Service/Disaster Response (volunteerism) programs – called our Get Off The Couch® programming.
SDIA Yellowstone Outdoor Adventure
The #SDIA #OutdoorAdventure team is dedicated to organizing thrilling and awe-inspiring Outdoor Adventure experiences. Our participants gain insights into posttraumatic growth while relishing the exhilarating moments that Yellowstone offers. These men and women have experienced the thrill of the national park and the life-changing introduction to posttraumatic growth. Bringing home with them revitalized spirits and powerful insights into their trauma and their growth potential.
Sheep Dog Nation Podcast Episode 5
Lance Nutt engages in a conversation with Richard Oakley, a retired undercover DEA agent, in the latest episode of the Sheep Dog Nation Podcast. They’ll delve into Richard’s intriguing career and experiences. Listen or watch now!
SDIA Yellowstone Outdoor Adventure
The #SDIA #OutdoorAdventure team is dedicated to organizing thrilling and awe-inspiring Outdoor Adventure experiences. Our participants gain insights into posttraumatic growth while relishing the exhilarating moments that Yellowstone offers. These men and women have experienced the thrill of the national park and the life-changing introduction to posttraumatic growth. Bringing home with them revitalized spirits and powerful insights into their trauma and their growth potential.
If you are interested in learning more about the #SDIA#OutdoorAdventures, please visit https://sheepdogia.org/mission/outdoor-adventures/
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And They’re Off to Climb Kili!
The Sam's Furniture Kilimanjaro Climb for a Cause is FINALLY HERE!
After months of preparation and training, the Climbing Team has arrived in Tanzania!The "Kili Climb for a Cause" Climbing Team, sponsored by Sam’s Furniture in Springdale, Arkansas, includes owners, Joe & Larra Donaldson, a video production team, and ten Veterans - four of which are Purple Heart recipients (single- and double-limb amputees).Be sure to watch our Facebook & Instagram pages (@SheepDogIA) as well as our website for updates on their progress.And once they hit the trail, click this link to see where they are at LIVE!
Our Kili Climbers on the bus in Tanzania.
Meet Our Purple Heart Recipient Climbers
While on his second tour during Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2005, Sgt Galloway lost his left arm above the elbow, his left leg above...
4 Purple Heart Recipients Need Your Support to Climb Kilimanjaro
KILI CLIMB FOR A CAUSE
Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) is honored to be part of Sam's Furniture's Kilimanjaro Climb for a Cause happening in August.
The "Kili Climb for a Cause" climbing team, sponsored by Sam’s Furniture in Springdale, Arkansas, includes owners, Joe & Larra Donaldson, a video production team, and ten Veterans - four of which are Purple Heart recipients (single- and double-limb amputees).
This adventure was featured on the March 1, 2020, Fox & Friends show and was originally scheduled for July 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was rescheduled for August 2021.
WHY ARE WE CLIMBING?
The Kilimanjaro Climb for a Cause was created to inspire all individuals to face challenges head-on and work to overcome them. Summiting Kilimanjaro is a huge undertaking and accomplishment for a person without physical injuries to deal with. For those like our Purple Heart recipients who...
SDIA a Member of the Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network to Help Veterans, First Responders Heal
Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) is honored to announce that they are a proud member of the Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network, a new cognitive health and mental wellness network providing transformative care to veterans and first responders experiencing post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injuries, and substance abuse launched by the Gary Sinise Foundation on February 16. The Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network builds on the work of the Marcus Institute for Brain Health and the Boulder Crest Foundation’s Warrior PATHH program. They will establish 20 treatment sites nationwide, including one in Northwest Arkansas where SDIA will deliver the Warrior PATHH program.
“We are incredibly honored to be a member of the Gary Sinise Foundation Avalon Network,” said SDIA founder and CEO, SgtMaj Lance Nutt, USMC (Ret.). “Our mission has always been to engage, assist and empower our nation’s Sheep Dogs (veterans and first responders) to Get Off The Couch™ and live their best lives. Partnering...
SDIA’s Warrior PATHH Training Program is Now Available!
Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) will host the first Warrior PATHH training class in Northwest Arkansas next month, and we are so excited to help our nation's heroes transform times of deep struggle into profound strength and lifelong growth. The March class is full, but we have classes available throughout the year for you to participate in. Here is our class availability: March 13-19, 2021 – FULL
April 14-20, 2021 - 7 spots available May 14-20, 2021 (Female only) - 3 spots available June 23-29, 2021 - 6 spots available September 18-24, 2021 - 6 spots available October 16-22, 2021 - 8 spots available November 15-21, 2021 (Female only) - 8 spots available December 4-10, 2021 - 8 spots available
We want you (and Sheep Dogs you know) to take this first brave step in making peace with your past, living in the present, and planning for a great future.
Interested? Start the process by completing the Interest...
SDIA Partners with BCF to Launch Warrior PATHH Training in NWA
Sheep Dog Impact Assistance is honored to partner with Boulder Crest Foundation to deliver their life-changing Warrior PATHH Training for Combat Veterans and First Responders to Northwest Arkansas beginning in March 2021.
Warrior PATHH (Progressive and Alternative Training for Healing Heroes) is the nation's first non-clinical program designed to cultivate and facilitate Posttraumatic Growth (PTG). The program focuses on Combat Veterans and First Responders struggling with PTSD, depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and other challenges associated with trauma, and teaches them how to transform times of deep struggle into profound strength and lifelong growth.
In 2021, SDIA will hold this training at Camp War Eagle while a dedicated facility is developed. How It Works This transformative 18-month program begins with seven days of intensive and immersive PTG training that taps into each students' strengths, skills and abilities. Throughout the program, they learn proven techniques to regulate thoughts, feelings, and actions, connect head and heart, and...
Our Mission Continues with Outdoor Adventures
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Office and Northwest Arkansas Chapter have dug deep to find ways to adapt, improvise and overcome many of the challenges presented by the guidance/mandates in place. While we have postponed our large-scale adventures to 2021, #OurMissionContinues! Our reformatted Outdoor Adventures now include groups of 10 or fewer whenever possible, and we press on to keep our Sheep Dogs off that couch. Since June, we have taken more than 60 Sheep Dogs in need on 2-day adventures to experience the thrill of off-roading with razors at Rush Springs Ranch, skydiving at Skydive Fayetteville, rockcrawling with Rockcrawlers 4x4 Club NWA at Byrd's Outdoor Center, water activities on Beaver Lake, and with the recent cooler weather, indoor axe throwing, climbing and more. While it sounds like we're “just having fun,” the camaraderie, peer support and sense of belonging participants feel during these adventures is critical to the overall well-being of each Sheep Dog attending.