Wounded Warriors helping veterans with disabilities enjoy outdoor activities
As the weather warms this spring, many of us might be thinking of getting into the great outdoors and maybe even enjoying some fishing. One local nonprofit group is helping veterans enjoy fishing, hunting and other outdoor activities, thanks to the vision of founder Bud West back in 2002.
“We can go to public fishing grounds, but our members, we got paralyzed veterans, we got wounded warriors,” explains Scott Gregory, president of Western Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors. “Right now, this is a private club and only our guys can hunt it. So, we have a blind set up out there where we can wheelchair a guy up into a blind, and he can sit there and look for deer. We got a dock at our pond that’s wheelchair accessible. We stock it just for these guys to come out and not have to worry about fighting other crowds.”
Western Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors has been helping veterans with better access to hunting and fishing for nearly 25 years and is this month’s recipient of the Driven By Hope Award sponsored by Washington Auto Mall.
The group’s original focus was helping paralyzed veterans through fishing until WPWW obtained a land lease in 2005 and incorporated a couple years later. Although West, the founder, passed away in 2010, his legacy lives on through the work of WPWW’s volunteers and board of directors who believe that hunting and fishing should be accessible for everyone, regardless of disability. They serve both military and civilian disabled persons who enjoy hunting, fishing, and the outdoors.
Based in Eighty Four, the group has been leasing more than 2,800 acres of land there from Consol Energy for exclusive hunting rights. Members were shocked recently to learn their lease will not be renewed after two decades.
“We leased almost 3,000 acres out in Eighty Four through Consol, but they just sold it,” says Gregory. “So, we lost our lease as of July first. They’ve been selling off their land. There might be a golf course, there might be houses, you know. So, we are looking for a new property.”
The group has added improvements to the property, including a rifle range with a pavilion and two hunting blinds for turkey and deer seasons. A concrete walkway now leads to the pond to enable wheelchair access, and a 2016 Eagle Scout project added a floating dock and ramp for the pond that is wheelchair accessible. “Our disabled members enjoy this dock as it makes it more efficient for them to be able to fish on the pond,” he said.
“Buying land takes money, and prices are high,” Gregory adds. “We have a pontoon boat that sits in the pond right now, so we can take it somewhere else so we can get guys on it. We’re looking for other property. There are a couple places out in Hickory we’re looking at, but the price of property right now is high and we’re a nonprofit. We don’t have like $120,000 a year to lease property, you know.”
Western Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors raises funds all year through ham and bacon shoots, raffles, poker runs and other fundraisers, and also receives generous donations from individuals, companies, and other organizations.
“Our organization’s mission is to improve the lives of those in need by providing essential services and support to the community,” Gregory said. “The belief is that hunting and fishing should be accessible for everyone, regardless of their disability, both military and civilian. We have guys who can only hunt out of the car, out of the wheelchair, so they can’t go through the woods. So, we post them in the fields, and we push.”
With both a father and son who are veterans, Gregory joins others wanting to help those serving our country.
“We’re doing good stuff. We help people in need.”
For more information on Western Pennsylvania Wounded Warriors or to learn how to donate, please visit https://wpawoundedwarrior.org.