NON-PROFIT
MEET A MEMBER
By: Allison Merecka Director of Program and Communications, Hunt with Heart adventures are fully funded. From the first hunting experience to make a little boy’s dream come true over nine years ago, HwH has grown into a successful charity dedicated to serving over 100 members and their families.
Ways We Serve FAMILY ASSISTANCE FUND - While
HUNT WITH HEART (HwH) was started in 2012. Their mission is to empower and enhance the lives of children with severe illnesses through unforgettable outdoor experiences. Hunt with Heart offers young people with heart conditions a taste of normalcy, connection, and adventure through the great outdoors. The outdoor activities help their members to gain personal confidence and meet others who are experiencing similar challenges. The hunting and fishing camps focus on their ability rather than their disability. Group activities such as these forge life-long friendships and ease the loneliness of being a critically ill child. In addition, they are introduced to new hobbies and opportunities that were often never available before. Going through camp makes them official members of Hunt with Heart and they can take full advantage of all the things HwH has to offer including donated hunting and fishing trips in Texas, like the annual dove hunt with Texas Dove Hunters Association. HwH has also sent kids to Spain, Argentina, and Canada, along with many other domestic trips. Thanks to generous and faithful donors, over 90% of the outdoor 36 | FALL 2021
Hunt with Heart’s primary mission is to heal and empower youth through outdoor sports and camaraderie, there is also a critical need to provide emotional and financial assistance to our members throughout their medical journey. During hospital stays, HwH assists with lodging, parking, and hot meals. When a member passes away, HwH helps cover funeral costs for the family. THE JOURNEY SCHOLARSHIP -There is
a growing need to assist HwH young adults with skills such as application completion, submissions, and interview techniques. Many of them are usually extreme introverts due to their years of social isolation because of their disease. As a result, many HwH teens require substantial coaching and emotional support whether applying for a job, vocation school, or college. Over 60% of the members are aged 14-20, and HwH raises funds that provide scholarships for them to attend college, vocational, or graduate school. The scholarships help to cover the cost of tuition and related expenses. To date, HwH has provided 17 scholarships to our members and will be giving out even more for the 2021-2022 school year.
Madeleine was born with a congenital heart disease known as Tetrology of Fallot that could only be repaired by surgery, which she had at six months. She has had a series of corrective surgeries since then, one being in May of this year. Madeleine joined Hunt with Heart when she attended Camp Beaver Creek in the Fall of 2017. The following year we provided her with another amazing experience when she was selected to participate in a hunt of a lifetime in Canada. (Donated by our good friends at Northern Giants Trophy Ranch) Madeleine said, “The experience Hunt with Heart gave me was truly unforgettable. I am so grateful I could share my love for the great outdoors at Beaver Creek Ranch with amazing people. I will never forget the fantastic trip I went on, and I hope I can someday become a camp counselor as well. I love Hunt with Heart and everyone who is a part of it.” Madeleine is a recipient of our scholarship program, The Journey, and is a member of the class of 2024 at Texas A&M!
