Kilimanjaro: Climb for a Cause 2023
Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) is honored to be part of Sam's Furniture's Kilimanjaro Climb for a Cause.The "Kili Climb for a Cause" climbing team, sponsored by Sam’s Furniture in Springdale, Arkansas, includes owner and veteran Joe Donaldson, and ten fellow Veterans - two of which are Purple Heart recipients.
The Marangu route, also known as the “Coca-Cola” route, is the oldest, most well established route on Kilimanjaro. Many favor Marangu because it is considered to be the easiest path on the mountain, given its gradual slope and direct path. However the short time frame of the route makes altitude acclimatization fairly difficult. The route approaches Mount Kilimanjaro from the southeast.
The morning of July 27 the Kili Climb team stepped off on the Marangu Route and five days later summited!
Day One: The Sheep Dog Climbers completed their first day of climbing and staged at their first camp -...
Heroes Ranch Training Facility Grand Opening – July 13, 2023
What an incredible way to celebrate SDIA’s 13th Anniversary on July 13 than by hosting the Grand Opening, ribbon cutting and building dedications for our brand new Heroes Ranch Training Facility (HRTF)!
The day started out stormy, but by 10am had turned into a beautiful day. The event began with an invocation given by Neighborhood Church Pastor Joe Liles, followed by a stirring rendition of our national anthem sung by Greg Pearson.
SDIA Chief Operating Officer Mike Miller then introduced our founder & CEO, Lance Nutt. He spoke about the vision and mission of SDIA, and thanked those who have helped this facility become a reality. Guest speakers took the podium and shared what being part of the SDIA mission means to them and their organizations. We heard from Brian Rohauer of Senator John Boozman’s office, Piper Brintnall of Veterans United Foundation, Tracy Dufault of Walmart, and Josh Goldberg of...
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...
SDIA’s HEROES GALA IS BACK ON APRIL 22
All of us at Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) are so excited to announce that our HEROES GALA IS BACK!
The 2023 Heroes Gala is presented by Sam’s Furniture and will be held on Saturday, April 22, 2023, at 6:00pm at the Rogers Convention Center. During this inspiring event we will be celebrating our 2022 accomplishments and honoring our nation’s heroes with Honorary Chair David Guggina (Walmart Executive Vice President-Supply Chain), Guest Speaker Stuart Rowland (owner of Stu’s Clean Cookin’) and musical entertainment provided by Coffey Anderson. Tickets for this formal fundraising event are available now and proceeds will fund SDIA’s Get Off The Couch™ programming which improves the overall physical and mental well-being of our Veterans and First Responders.
The Heroes Gala will have a special pre-event VIP Reception at 4:30pm, followed by a social hour, silent auction bidding, music, dinner, a short ceremony, and live auction. Awards will be presented to our "Sheep Dogs...
ARTICLE: “Warrior PATHH Helps Veterans Create a Better Tomorrow”
SDIA’s Warrior PATHH Program Director, Chris Jackson, recently talked with AY about the life-changing, transformative results that students of the program we host at Heroes Ranch at Rush Springs experience.
Do you know a Sheep Dog that could use training to overcome their struggles and trauma? Have them complete the Veteran or First Responder form at https://warriorpathh.sheepdogia.org.
https://www.armoneyandpolitics.com/warrior-pathh-veterans-tomorrow/
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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...