The Ripple Effect

In This Issue

Give a Gift of Hope

Your $100 donation will put 2 veterans on the water kayak fishing for a day with Heroes
on the Water.

Hope for Heroes

Creating Smiles

Breakthroughs

Cracking the Shell

"I would very much like to send my warmest thanks and regards to you all. I in the last two weeks have been given a chance to go both fresh water and salt water kayaking for the first time. It gave me a chance to not just relax but have a moment of peace that I have not felt in a very long time. It was as if I found something that I had been looking for my whole life. God Bless you all." - Will

Heroes on the Water
101-C North Greenville Ave. #55
Allen, Texas 75002
jim@heroesonthewater.org
214-295-4541

Heroes on the Water is a 501(c)(3)

public charity that relies totally on contributions from individuals,
corporations and foundations.

The Best Gift

We need your help! For the first time we come to you with our hands out.

Seeing the smile on the face of a wounded warrior is one of the greatest gifts you can receive. Imagine the simple act of catching a fish from a kayak. No big deal for most of us. For someone whose life has been shaken with traumatic injuries, it may be a miracle moment. A breakthrough event. A reason to smile.

The stories I hear from our wounded warriors put a chill down my spine. To them, Heroes on the Water is not just a program, it is an opportunity to help turn their lives around and rebuild families. Lives that have been shattered and bodies that have been broken.

You can help build the program across the country. Coordinating the efforts of our thirty five chapters, hundreds of veterans, and dozens of volunteers, is a full time job. For years, I have dedicated my resources, and given my heart to this cause. As a full-time American Airlines pilot, the time required to lead and focus on Heroes on the Water has escalated well beyond my ability and expertise. Give now and help us provide the full time leadership our injured veterans deserve.

Our goal is to raise $100,000 by December 31, 2011.

Heroes on the Water has started well. Many lives have been served. Now we must plan for the future. There are two immediate opportunities for you to help.

1.   Your charitable giving, this holiday season, will provide the funds necessary for us to hire an Executive Director.

2.   Make Heroes on the Water available to larger numbers of deserving veterans. Your financial gift will make a huge difference in the lives of these recovering men and women. With your help, we could double the number of veterans served, in the next few months.

Please make a donation today. Join the HOW family in our commitment to help those who have served us.

There is one more thing you can do to put a smile on the face of one of our heroes. Tell a friend about HOW. Spread the word. We live in a great country. You can help your family and friends to be a part of our growing HOW family. Together, we can all make a difference.

Thank you for your continued support and encouragement. Wishing you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Jim Dolan
Heroes on the Water
National Director

Cracking the Shell

Changing a tire is not normally dangerous . . . unless you are on the side of the road in an overseas location, run over by another vehicle, while changing the tire on a Hummer.

That's how one of our heroes from California suffered a serious brain injury. She was in a coma for three long years. Today, she is living in Livermore, Virginia as a functioning adult, but has virtually no short or long term memory. In other words, she could not tell you what happened last year, or earlier today. Until now.

Heroes on the Water (HOW.), arranged for our veteran friend to spend a day on the water, kayak fishing. Her recreational therapist called us three days later, extremely excited. Our HOW friend remembered going kayak fishing! Her day on the water made such a positive impact in her life that her brain decided to treasure the memory. In other words, her kayak fishing trip "cracked the shell" and allowed her to take the first, important steps forward in regaining her memory.

Sometimes the road to recovery is actually a river to recovery.

Dr. John Hart is a brain specialist. He has conducted extensive research with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). I asked him to explain the effectiveness of Heroes on the Water. Why does being on the water, kayak fishing, have such a profound positive impact on our veterans? This is what he said.

First, our HOW friends are treated to a safe and relaxing day on the water. Fishing, joking around with their buddies, and paddling their kayaks, puts them at ease. It is fun.

Also, being in the water is strongly therapeutic. All five senses are involved as our heroes literally paddle their cares away. Water provides freedom and joy in a way few other experiences provide. The good memories from their day on the water helps override the bad memories that haunt and elude them.

Of all the tools available to help our wounded heroes, kayaks are among the most simple, effective, and inexpensive.

You can provide a day on the water for only $50 and help change the life of a wounded veteran. Please Click Here and make a generous donation today.

You can help someone who has given so much.

Paddle. Fish. Heal.