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Dave Burgess coordinates the SANDS program, which pairs disabled and able-bodied sportsmen. |
The near-instant replies turned around his life.
Now, that’s what Burgess hopes to do for other outdoorsmen with disabilities.
Burgess, a volunteer coordinator with the AmeriCorps program at UNMC’s Munroe-Meyer Institute, has founded Sportsmen Assisting Nebraska’s Disabled Sportsmen (SANDS), which pairs disabled and able-bodied hunters and anglers.
“SANDS offers sportsmen and women a chance to get back outdoors,” Burgess said. “Four walls and a ceiling don’t make much of a life, but any day you can be outdoors in the fresh air and sunshine the day is good.”
In 1998, the certified nursing assistant herniated his back while catching a 100-pound woman who was falling. Five back surgeries later, the U.S. Army veteran with degenerative spinal disease found himself in a motorized wheelchair missing his favorite pasttime.
“It’s like losing a part of you,” he said.
The constant pain, as well as the difficulty in coordinating a hunting trip, kept him from his outdoor hobby for five years. “I was deteriorating physically,” he said.
His wife, Danielle, was frustrated that she was unable to take him hunting herself and urged him to post a message on a Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Web site.
Nearly a dozen people responded.
Within weeks, Burgess and Rik Cutting of Bellevue went deer hunting at De Soto Bend National Wildlife Refuge. “It was so very motivating for me to get back out,” Burgess said. “I went from a poor attitude to caring and finding things important again.”
The trip sparked the idea for SANDS.
Mike Freel, also among the first to respond to Burgess’ post, supported Burgess in his efforts to develop SANDS.
The program, launched in May, publishes a list of able-bodied hunters and anglers who are interested in helping those with disabilities. The SANDS Web site currently lists about two dozen people with disabilities and about 40 volunteers who have offered to take them out.
The volunteer program offers a variety of opportunities, from hunting and fishing to boating, camping and astronomy. Individuals simply sign up and exchange contact information to plan their event. Participants must be at least 18 years old and volunteers must have current Nebraska hunting or fishing licenses and legally be able to own and/or handle firearms.
“I’m really happy with the way it’s being accepted,” Burgess said, hoping to expand it to other states. “Nebraska sportsmen and women have been very generous in sharing their love of the outdoors with other people.”
Overall, more than 1,100 men and women have filed for disabled status with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. Burgess would like to see them all in the SANDS program. “It has done more than just get me outdoors again,” he said. “It has put purpose back in my life.”
Burgess didn’t bag a deer during that first trip to DeSoto, or during subsequent trips. Instead, his new hunting companions have given him and his family so much more.
“I got my wife’s smile back,” he said.
Anyone interested in participating may sign up on the SANDS Web site (www.sandsnebraska.com) or via the Nebraska Game and Parks Web site at www.outdoornebraska.org (under the NGPC programs). For more information about SANDS, contact Burgess weekdays at 559-3743 or via e-mail at sandsnebraska@yahoo.com.