OCALA, FL (352today.com) – The North Central Florida Outdoor Expo attracted thousands of Floridians to the World Equestrian Center on Saturday, Aug. 12. In addition to providing you an escape from the sweltering heat and an opportunity to check out all kinds of outdoor equipment, you may not have known that your attendance at the expo also helped an area non-profit organization.
The Outdoor Expo is hosted by the North Central Florida Media (NCFM) radio stations 93.7 K-Country and 92.5/95.5 Wind-FM. NCFM is 352today.com’s parent company. This is the third year NCFM has selected 10 CAN, Inc. as its charity partner for the expo.
10 CAN stands for Christian Adventure Network. They focus on military, first responders and their families struggling with PTSD. Their mission is to save heroes, raise warriors, and restore families through the great outdoors. 10 CAN founder Dr. Matthew R. Burke said this event is unlike any other event they’ve participated in. “It just feels right,” he said. “This feels more like a grassroots event where people know each other.”
RELATED: NCFM partners with 10 CAN for its Outdoor Expo
On Wednesday, Aug. 23, NCFM’s Vice President & General Manager, Howard Tuuri, presented Robert Isom, 10 CAN’s H3 Adventures Director, with a $2,500 check. The donation is generated by proceeds from the event. “Our team is thrilled how the outdoor expo continues to grow each year and how it allows us to give back to our community – especially to worthy organizations like 10 CAN,” said Tuuri. “This is an example of how we live up to our mission to be your community connection.”
“Partnerships with our friends like NCFM are critical for mission success. Being a nonprofit with an operational objective as wide reaching as ours requires a collaboration with passionate and patriotic organizations willing to step up and invest in our veterans, first responders, law enforcement, and youth,” said Isom. “Also, in this great country full of such diverse cultures and views, we deeply value and respect our relationships with individuals and groups that allow us to share our methods of spreading encouragement, love, and healing.”
10 CAN was born out Burke’s own experiences as a U.S. Air Force combat veteran. He was injured in Afghanistan and medically retired. He began suffering from PTSD and chronic pain. “This basically comes from the struggles that I went through during my rehabilitation. I almost tapped out and I felt like I had to keep fighting for my children.”
10 CAN gets its members involved in activities like hunting, fishing and even skydiving. Unlike other veteran therapy organizations, they say they don’t require anybody to be a particular level of disability, just people who want to better themselves for their families.
“The funds we receive are used directly for the cost of camps and adventures where we host what we’ve coined as ‘Outdoor Adventure Therapy.’ Attendees are able to attend at little to no cost and are able to take part in therapeutic activities that speak to their individual personalities,” said Isom. “To date we have worked with over 50,000 individuals in some capacity and have not lost one to suicide.”