VFW Magazine Story: “Helping is Healing”
August 2023. Written by Kenneth Heard
View this story and the entire VFW Magazine at https://www.vfw.org/media-and-events/vfw-magazine, then click on the August 2023 magazine cover and navigate to page 18 to begin reading the "Helping is Healing" story. A PDF of it appears below.
5News video: “Sheep Dog hosts Aircraft Haul fundraiser”
If the video does not play, you may view it on the 5News website: https://www.5newsonline.com/video/news/community/sheep-dog-impact-assistance-hosts-aircraft-haul-fundraiser/527-78f80542-bf6f-454e-a138-caa2ae914290 ...
McDonald County News video: “National Non-Profit Opens New Facility in Jane for Veterans & First Responders”
JANE, Mo. — A non-profit organization that focuses on the mental health recovery of veterans and first responders is expanding their reach into southwest Missouri.
A large pair of scissors helped cut the ribbon in Jane Thursday, as the Sheep Dog Impact Assistance non-profit organization had its grand opening for its new Heroes Ranch Training Facility.
It sits on more than 50 acres of land and provides veterans and first responders, or “sheepdogs,” struggling with mental health issues like anxiety and depression an opportunity to be amongst those who understand what they are going through while having some fun.
“The focus here with our outdoor adventure program is again, everything outdoors from canoeing the local Elk River, to razor-riding, camping, hiking, fishing, cave exploring, you name it,” said SGTMAJ Lance Nutt, Sheep Dog Impact Assistance Founder and CEO.
“Sometimes we forget what it is like for post-traumatic stress or anxiety and stress along the line of duty that these men and...
Our Friends & Neighbors Need Us!
We're helping as many as we can, but we need your support to keep serving those impacted by recent tornadoes.
As our Disaster Response (DR) Teams wrapped up their work in Mississippi last Thursday, they quickly inventoried, restocked, and geared back up to focus on the areas devastated by tornadoes in the south on Friday.
Saturday morning, our Central Arkansas Chapter deployed to West Little Rock, and our Southern Indiana Chapter headed to Sullivan, Indiana - both teams got right to work helping residents. And yesterday morning a DR Team from Northwest Arkansas traveled to the small town of Wynne, Arkansas, and began chainsaw operations to remove trees from homes, roads and property.
Our DRM Team in Indiana wrapped up their work Sunday and have returned home safely, but our Arkansas teams will be in the Little Rock area through the end of the week.
We - and those affected - need your support more than ever as the DRM...
Article: A Sheep Dog’s View – Hurricane Ian
Story appears in November 2022 issue of "Better Off Wet" magazine; written by Benjamin J. Chewning
A Sheep Dog's View begins on page 48.
https://issuu.com/74556/docs/bow_november_2022/s/17252520
A great story about our ongoing Disaster Response efforts in southwest Florida following Hurricane Ian.
Many thanks to our Central Florida Team, lead by the indefatigable Raffy Morales! ...
Run with SDIA Before You Gobble Til You Wobble this Thanksgiving Day!
All of us at Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) are so excited for our 15th annual Turkey Trot for Heroes 5K, Wild Gobbler 5K, Virtual 5K and 1-mile Fun Run/Walk on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 24, 2022, at 9:00am - and we invite YOU to be part of it!What is the Turkey Trot for Heroes? It is an opportunity to get your run/walk in for the day - before you "gobble til you wobble" - all while supporting SDIA's Get Off The Couch™ programming and the military, law enforcement, fire & rescue, and EMS heroes we serve.
There is an option for everyone from the adventure runner, regular runner, walker and those who do not run! Register before November 1 to receive Early Bird pricing.
Turkey Trot for Heroes 5K is our standard 5K (3.2 mile) run option following a route around the downtown Rogers area. All 5K runners will receive a t-shirt...
LETCHER COUNTY KY HAS HOPE BECAUSE OF YOU!
THANK YOU to everyone who has supported this Disaster Response Mission to help the people of eastern Kentucky.Whether you have given financially, deployed on the mission, donated supplies, or however you have given back, SDIA could not help the residents of Floyd, Breathitt and Letcher Counties in Kentucky begin to recover without each and every one of you.
DISASTER RESPONSE IMPACT thru 8/5/22
6 Teams/Chapters and Members from 8 states responded (AR, GA, IN, KY, NC, OH, PA, TX) 73 SDIA Members & Volunteers deployed 800+ man hours of work 28 structures mucked out, including City Hall Temporary City Hall & 2 Distribution Centers set up 2,699 residents assisted, including 201 Veterans and 165 First Responders With approval of Mayor & Police Chief, Teams conducted site surveys, medical/welfare checks, administered tetanus shots Teams distributed: 1,831 cs water; 11,969 lbs food; and 2,990 lbs medical, cleaning, hygiene supplies (including clothing and other items).
SDIA Greater Cincinnati Chapter Commander, Dave Jardon, was interviewed by...
SDIA & GC Partner for Humanitarian DRM
All of us at Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) are troubled by the atrocities taking place in the Ukraine, and our hearts go out to all the people that are unable to leave the territory.
In an effort to do what we can to assist, SDIA has partnered with Gladiator Contracting for a humanitarian disaster response mission (DRM) to Ukraine. SDIA members working with Gladiator will depart for Poland/Western Ukraine this Friday, March 18, to extract specific, pre-identified American and Ukrainian citizens, getting them out of harm’s way and to safe locations outside of the country.
Following this initial mission, the team will establish a humanitarian “safe zone” for supplies, refugees, and volunteer staff as the war in Ukraine continues. SDIA is immediately supporting this effort with donations of survival gear, DRM equipment and other needs.
This mission will be very cost intensive, and we encourage anyone interested in supporting these humanitarian efforts to donate financially via the SDIA website,...
Sheep Dogs Experience Camaraderie While Snowmobiling in Yellowstone
Last weekend, 57 Sheep Dogs returned home after spending five days with Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) in the picturesque wonderland of Yellowstone. The group traveled from all over the United States to experience camaraderie, snowmobiling and other activities while visiting West Yellowstone, Yellowstone National Park and Yellowstone National Forest.
While the Yellowstone trip has been an annual SDIA Outdoor Adventure (OA) since 2019, this was the first OA for many of the sponsored Sheep Dogs. Though excited for the adventure, some felt nervousness and anxiety, too.
“Most first-time participants are eager to do something they’ve not done before, but there's usually a bit of anxiety, too, because they typically don’t know much about SDIA yet and don’t know what to expect on the OA,” said SgtMaj Lance Nutt, SDIA’s founder and CEO. “After the first 24 hours, though, they know that they’re with fellow Sheep Dogs who are dealing with many of the same issues and challenges, and...
2-22-22 Donate Today to Fight Veteran & First Responder Suicide
Can our nation’s heroes, our “Sheep Dogs” – Veterans, Law Enforcement, Fire & Rescue, and Emergency Medical Service professionals – count on YOU?
Today, on 2-22-22, we can’t help but reflect on the significance of the number 22.
22 is widely recognized as the average number of Veterans that die by suicide each day in the United States. Add to that First Responder suicides (twice as many as those that die in the line of duty) and our nation has an epidemic that Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) is working to eliminate. And we need your continued support to make this a reality.$0.88¢ of each dollar donated directly funds SDIA’s Outdoor Adventures, Warrior PATHH training, and Continued Service/Disaster Response programs. That means your donation will directly provide a struggling Sheep Dog with opportunities to Get Off The Couch™, reengage in living their best life, and reduce suicidal ideation & attempts.In 2021 alone, SDIA directly impacted the lives of nearly 1,000...