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As 2012 is coming to an end, so is the hunting season for Wounded Warrior Outdoors. 2012 was a great year for this organization; Wounded Warrior Outdoors hosted 10 outdoor therapeutic excursions with over 50 wounded, but active duty, military personnel across the United States and Canada. The trips included a turkey hunt in Kentucky, bear hunting in British Columbia and California, wild boar hunting in Florida and Canada, fly fishing in Maine, fishing trips in Florida and Alaska and alligator hunting in Florida. There have been articles written about the excursions in some of the local participating communities. The participants in the outdoor excursions led by Wounded Warrior Outdoors are active duty military personnel who have been injured serving the United States in Iraq or Afghanistan. The servicemen or women can have a variety of injuries from post-traumatic stress syndrome to loss of limbs. However, they all have a strong desire to get better and stronger. The participants are chosen to go on the therapeutic trips by their doctors and therapists. Wounded Warrior Outdoors works with doctors, nurses and therapists at the Balboa Naval Medical Center and Walter Reed Medical Center. Medical nurses or a chaperon are also members of the team for the outdoor excursions.

The hunting and fishing trips give a chance for the injured soldier to have “real-life” therapy. For most of the participants, the trip is their first time out of the hospital. Over the duration of the 3-10 day trips, the military participants can gain more therapeutic value in one day outdoors than a week in the hospital. The trips help with balance, mobility, endurance and building a sense of camaraderie with fellow participants.

The trips are free to the participants. There is no cost to the family or to the military. The trip costs are covered by corporate and private donations to Wounded Warrior Outdoors. Volunteers give their time, boats, equipment and sometimes even their homes to help with the trips. The volunteers do not get paid for their work with the organization. There are a few fundraising events throughout the year for Wounded Warrior Outdoors including a silent raffle event in February.  On January 4^th and 5^th, 12 runners and some Wounded Warriors will run in the RAGNAR Relay Series  to help raise funds for Wounded Warrior Outdoors. This is a 200 mile relay race from South Beach Miami to Key West, FL. You can help donate to the race by using the link above. You can also make donations to Wounded Warrior Outdoors on the website.

Wounded Warrior Outdoors was founded in 2006 by Ron Raboud as a way to give therapeutic outdoor activities to our injured, but active duty, military heroes. Stop N Stor  is a very proud sponsor of this great organization. Stop by any of our locations to find out more information and how you can help support Wounded Warrior Outdoors.