
With women accounting for 10% of the United States’ military, veteran organizations are finding creative ways to be more inclusive. One such organization is Operation Outdoor Freedom (OOF), thanks to a grant from our Foundation.
OOF helps wounded or disabled veterans reconnect with the outdoors through white-tailed deer and turkey hunts. The participants used to be exclusively male, but five female veterans have recently joined hunts in Blackwater River State Forest. Marna Tracy, who served in the Army, was visiting the Florida State Fair in 2016 when she saw OOF’s booth promoting a gator hunt. After that first gator hunt, she was hooked and has since participated in several other trips with OOF, including a recent bow hunt where she was the only person to harvest a deer. While it was not a barrier for Tracy, OOF did not have a separate housing facility for the female hunters during her trips. Our initial grant was intended to help to construct a women’s dormitory for up to seven women at Blackwater River State Forest. But prices and material availability skyrocketed thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and effects of Hurricane Sally. As a result, we gave a second grant that completed four individual bedrooms and two dual occupancy bedrooms, as well as three private baths with ADA compliant facilities. The dorms have been used since opening, introducing new hunters to the outdoors and providing a welcoming environment for female veterans.