Veteran Connection, Suicide Prevention & Outdoor Wellness Initiative

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Diving Devil Dogs respectfully requests $10,000 in grant funding to support its established Veteran Connection, Suicide Prevention & Outdoor Wellness Initiative serving veterans throughout Arizona.

Founded by Marine Corps disabled veterans, Diving Devil Dogs provides veterans and their families with opportunities for connection, camaraderie, purpose, mentorship, resilience, outdoor recreation, and community engagement.

Veteran suicide prevention is central to the organization's mission.

Diving Devil Dogs believes suicide prevention can begin well before a veteran reaches a moment of crisis. Creating opportunities for veterans to build relationships, participate in meaningful activities, serve their communities, and remain connected with other veterans can strengthen the network surrounding those who have served.

In 2025, Diving Devil Dogs expanded its established nature-based programming through Driving Devil Dogs Overlanding, providing veterans with opportunities to participate in day trips, camping, and multi-day outdoor adventures.

The organization has already acquired initial vehicles, a camper, camping resources, and outdoor equipment and has conducted trips throughout Arizona.

The requested $10,000 will therefore support and expand an existing program rather than establish a new one.

Funding will directly support veteran outdoor activities, fuel and transportation, conservation projects, camping and safety equipment, suicide-prevention awareness and training, and educational experiences conducted with community partners.

The objective is straightforward:

Get veterans outdoors. Get veterans connected. Give veterans opportunities to serve. Build relationships before a crisis occurs.

ORGANIZATIONAL BACKGROUND

Diving Devil Dogs was established in 2016 by Marine Corps disabled veterans who recognized the importance of creating community and connection for veterans and their families.

The organization has developed a veteran-centered model focused on camaraderie, mentorship, networking, resilience, outdoor experiences, and meaningful community engagement.

Diving Devil Dogs reports serving hundreds of individuals each year and has developed relationships with community organizations that broaden the experiences and resources available to veterans.

A defining feature of the organization is accessibility.

Diving Devil Dogs does not require membership fees, dues, or mandatory attendance. The goal is to reduce barriers and make opportunities available to veterans who want to participate.

Outdoor activities have become an important component of this model.

In 2025, Diving Devil Dogs launched Driving Devil Dogs Overlanding, providing day trips and multi-day adventures throughout Arizona and neighboring areas.

The organization has already acquired an initial equipment base that includes overlanding vehicles, camping resources, and a camper.

This infrastructure means a relatively modest grant can have a significant impact because Diving Devil Dogs does not need to build the program from the ground up.

STATEMENT OF NEED

Veteran suicide remains a serious public-health challenge.

Veterans may also experience social isolation, loss of camaraderie, PTSD, anxiety, difficulty adjusting after military service, or challenges finding the same sense of mission and community they experienced while serving.

Diving Devil Dogs does not represent outdoor recreation as a replacement for professional mental-health treatment.

Instead, the organization provides a complementary community-based environment where veterans can develop relationships, participate in meaningful activities, serve alongside other veterans, and become aware of resources available when additional support is needed.

Military service frequently creates relationships through shared responsibility and common mission.

Diving Devil Dogs seeks to create opportunities for veterans to experience some of those elements again through:

Connection.

Camaraderie.

Purpose.

Service.

Adventure.

Community.

The organization's approach can be summarized as:

CONNECTION BEFORE CRISIS

Veterans should have opportunities to develop relationships and supportive communities before they reach a point where they feel they have nowhere to turn.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Grant funding will support recurring veteran-centered outdoor activities throughout Arizona.

Driving Devil Dogs Overlanding

Launched in 2025, Driving Devil Dogs Overlanding provides veterans with structured outdoor experiences using the organization's existing vehicles and camping resources.

Activities may include:

Day overlanding trips
Multi-day expeditions
Camping
Navigation
Route planning
Outdoor cooking
Vehicle recovery
Emergency preparedness
Team-building
Outdoor education
Veteran peer connection

Overlanding provides a natural environment for teamwork.

Participants travel together, establish camp together, prepare meals, solve problems, maintain equipment, and share responsibility for successful trips.

These experiences create opportunities for relationships to develop naturally.

CAMPING & OUTDOOR WELLNESS

Camping provides veterans with opportunities to step away from everyday routines and spend meaningful time outdoors with other veterans.

Activities may include:

Camp setup
Outdoor cooking
Hiking
Navigation
Outdoor skills
Campfire gatherings
Educational programs
Responsible recreation
Team activities

Veterans do not need to own extensive camping or overlanding equipment to participate. Diving Devil Dogs' existing resources help reduce financial barriers to participation.

CONSERVATION & SERVICE

Diving Devil Dogs is expanding its outdoor model to include cleanup and stewardship activities on authorized Arizona public and protected lands.

Potential activities include:

Litter removal
Campsite cleanup
Trail stewardship
Conservation education
Removal of abandoned materials where authorized
Responsible outdoor-recreation education

Activities will be coordinated with appropriate land managers and conducted in accordance with applicable requirements.

The conservation component gives veterans an additional opportunity to experience purpose through service.

Veterans do not simply visit the outdoors.

They have opportunities to leave the places they visit better than they found them.

SUICIDE-PREVENTION COMPONENT

Diving Devil Dogs will incorporate veteran suicide-prevention awareness throughout its outdoor programming.

Grant resources may support appropriate evidence-informed suicide-prevention awareness and peer-support training for designated volunteers and program leaders.

Training will emphasize:

Recognizing potential warning signs
Listening and responding appropriately
Understanding peer-support boundaries
Knowing when professional assistance is necessary
Connecting veterans with appropriate resources
Emergency procedures
Veteran-specific crisis resources

Diving Devil Dogs will not attempt to diagnose or clinically treat participants.

Its role is to create community, increase awareness, encourage connection, and help veterans identify appropriate professional resources when additional support is needed.

Information about the Veterans Crisis Line will be incorporated into appropriate participant and volunteer materials.

Veterans and people supporting them can reach the Veterans Crisis Line 24 hours a day by calling 988 and pressing 1 or texting 838255.

COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

Diving Devil Dogs uses partnerships to expand the experiences available to veterans without unnecessarily duplicating resources.

The program will incorporate relationships with organizations associated with:

Paleontology
Geology
Gems and minerals
Arizona military history
Conservation
Public lands
Veteran services

Community partners include organizations such as the 1st Lt. Frank Luke Jr. Memorial Museum & Research Center and partners within Arizona's paleontology, geology, and gem-and-mineral communities.

These relationships create opportunities to integrate education into outdoor experiences.

Veterans may participate in:

Military-history programs
Museum activities
Paleontology education
Geology field experiences
Mineral identification
Fossil education
Responsible rockhounding
Conservation education
Citizen-science opportunities where appropriate
Volunteer projects

These activities create additional pathways through which veterans can discover interests, develop relationships, volunteer, and remain connected with their communities.

PROGRAM GOALS
Goal 1 — Strengthen Veteran Connection

Provide recurring opportunities for veterans to develop relationships with other veterans.

Goal 2 — Support Veteran Suicide-Prevention Efforts

Strengthen community-based protective factors such as connection, belonging, purpose, service, and awareness of available resources.

Goal 3 — Increase Outdoor Access

Reduce financial and equipment barriers to outdoor recreation for participating veterans.

Goal 4 — Create Purpose Through Service

Engage veterans in conservation, cleanup, volunteering, mentorship, and community activities.

Goal 5 — Expand Veteran Interests

Expose participants to outdoor recreation, conservation, military history, geology, paleontology, and other meaningful activities.

$10,000 GRANT BUDGET
Program Investment Amount
Veteran trip fuel & transportation $2,500
Camping & outdoor equipment $1,500
Conservation & cleanup equipment $1,500
Safety, first-aid & emergency communications $1,250
Suicide-prevention/peer-support training & resources $1,000
Community-partner educational programming $750
Vehicle/equipment maintenance $750
Veteran outreach, evaluation & program materials $500
Emergency/replacement equipment reserve $250
TOTAL REQUEST $10,000
BUDGET JUSTIFICATION
Veteran Trip Fuel & Transportation — $2,500