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About Donna Hometown: Youngsville, La. |
Q&A with Donna Thibodeaux
Donna's Wheelin' Sportsmen event raises more money for the program than any other event in the country
NWTF: Tell us about yourself.
Donna Thibodeaux: I am married to Gene, an avid outdoorsman who loves to fish and lives to hunt. We have four children and five grandchildren. My son, Benjamin, is in the Air Force and stationed in Germany. I went to Germany in October to visit him and see my new grandson, Jacob.
NWTF: How did you get involved with the NWTF?
DT: Gene watched one too many television shows about taking people with disabilities hunting; it was all he could talk about. So he finally called an NWTF regional director and set up a Wheelin' Sportsmen waterfowl hunt. After that hunt, we were both hooked on Wheelin' Sportsmen.
NWTF: Hosting such a large event Wheelin' Sportsmen event is quite an accomplishment! What's the largest crowd so far?
DT: A pond fishing trip brought in 111 people, including 46 Wheelin' Sportsmen participants and 16 JAKES, the rest were volunteers. We've had participants as young as 5 and some who were well into their 90s.
NWTF: What is the secret to your success?
DT: Everybody pitches in and does what they're good at — some sell tickets, some ask businesses for raffle items. We just all pull together, and it works.
NWTF: What does it take to host outreach events that keep people coming back?
DT: We make our events family oriented and invite our participants' loved ones. We're treating them to something they don't get to do often, and we like them to share those experiences with their families.
We also treat our event like it's a party, and plan it like we do any other get together. We make sure we have the equipment we need, plenty of volunteers and participants signed up, then everything else falls into place.
And we're in south Louisiana, so we have to have good food.
NWTF: You're a big supporter of other chapters trying to get their Wheelin' Sportsmen events going. What makes you want to help other NWTF chapters?
DT: There's a real need for chapters to host Wheelin' Sportsmen events. There are so many people out there who love the outdoors and either don't have someone to take them or don't feel comfortable going alone. They wonder, "What would I do if something goes wrong?" It means so much to them that someone would take time from their day to help them out.
NWTF: What have the experiences you've shared through Wheelin' Sportsmen meant to you?
DT: It really touches Gene and me when we call a former participant to invite them to another event and we hear them say, "I'm sorry, my friends are taking me hunting, so I'm busy that weekend." It's rewarding to know they're back in the woods again on their own.
It's great helping people do something they enjoy that they wouldn't do otherwise. Don't get me wrong; it's nice to introduce new people to the outdoors. But there is a special feeling that comes from giving someone another chance to do something they really love.
Hosting events are a lot of work. You're exhausted when it's over. But at the end of that day, you feel good knowing the hard work was worth it. — Melanie Swearingen