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The Ranch Ministries clients head out for a hunting trip with a trailer donated by Aluma. Photo submitted by Ken Korkow.
Aluma Donates Trailer to Veterans Organization
By Samantha Darling LaCount, NATM Tracks Editor
“Aluma just did something pretty awesome for us. We serve combat veterans, and if you folks want to go ahead and brag about your member, you might want to give me a call,” Ken Korkow said in a voicemail left at the National Association of Trailer Manufacturers’ (NATM) headquarters last fall.
Korkow is the executive director of The Ranch Ministries, a faith-based organization that uses outdoor activities to help veterans with PTSD. Korkow knows firsthand that wide-open space is the perfect place for healing. Located on 540 acres of prairie, about 20 miles southeast of Pierre, South Dakota, The Ranch is just the place.
“Our location is situated in an area known as the best in the world for pheasant hunting. Our ministry uses pheasant hunting as a keystone for helping veterans and for our fundraising. During the pheasant season, we host pheasant hunts for veterans, including those who are wheelchair-bound or have suffered other severe physical and mental injury,” The Ranch’s website reads.
Five hundred and forty acres is a lot to cover for those with injuries, in wheelchairs, or for older participants. That’s where trailers come in. The Ranch uses them to transport hunting groups and their gear across its acreage so anyone can participate, and helps eliminate the barrier to participation.
In January 2022, Lonnie Hamm, the Aluma territory representative that encompasses South Dakota, received Korkow’s request for a new trailer. Hamm didn’t realize it until later, but he had a personal connection to The Ranch.
“Unknown to me or anybody else, I’d been to that ranch hunting before,” Hamm said. “His brothers own a hunting refuge up by Pierre, South Dakota, I hadn't met Ken. I wasn’t aware that they had The Ranch Ministries, but I was aware that they had a private pheasant hunting.”
Hamm and Korkow ended up chatting for two to three hours the day he received the request, Hamm says. They quickly found common ground.
“Ken’s story really touched me personally, being a Vietnam vet myself and knowing what he went through,” Hamm said.
Korkow is a Vietnam veteran who served as a mortar section leader in Company B, 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Division. He was seriously wounded and was medically discharged. He received a Navy Cross and a Purple Heart.
“He’s quite a gentleman,” said Hamm of Korkow. “It’s exciting to be in his presence. The veteran that he is and the service that he’s given to the country.”
One day after receiving the request and speaking with Korkow, Aluma President and NATM Past President Mike Lloyd authorized a sponsorship for The Ranch Ministries. The Ranch was gifted a 6 1/2-foot by 12-foot utility trailer that was delivered just four weeks later - well ahead of the six-month waiting period that was typical during the component and material shortage amidst the pandemic.
“Ranch Ministries is an outstanding organization and we are very proud to be able to donate to them,” Lloyd said. “We understand and appreciate the impact that Ken and The Ranch Ministries have on people, mostly veterans, who come to him for assistance and guidance or just to relax. We especially like the fact that this is a Christian-based retreat and it gives its visitors a chance to settle their minds with a spiritual approach. We are so glad that we are able to show our gratitude to Ken and his staff by our trailer donation. It is the very least we can do to support our veterans as they give the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. It’s our way of showing them the thanks and respect that they all deserve.”
Aluma has a history of supporting veterans. They have sponsored trailers for Bell of Honor as well as other veterans organizations.
“We didn’t bat an eye over giving a trailer away as a sponsorship,” Hamm said.
When Korkow discovered that Aluma is a member of NATM, he called headquarters to share his story.
Lloyd expressed that they were happy to be able to help and says giving back is part of the company’s culture.
“Aluma believes in contributing to our community, whether it’s in Bancroft (Iowa), Emmetsburg (Iowa), or the towns of our dealers and sales reps who live all over the U.S.,” Lloyd said. “Giving back is great for employee and customer morale. It also helps the organization that we are donating to and the people it serves. Helping others is just really good for the soul.”
Aluma has been a member of NATM since 1997. For more information about the company, visit www.alumaklm.com.
For more information on The Ranch Ministries, visit www.theranchministries.com.
To submit article ideas or your own membership stories, contact Tracks Editor Samantha Darling LaCount at Samantha.Darling@natm.com. ■
The Ranch Ministries Executive Director Ken Korkow (left) and Lonnie Hamm, the Aluma territory representative for Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and South Dakota meet in person for the hand off of The Ranch's donated Aluma trailer.
Photo provided by Ken Korkow.
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