Outdoor Driven Healing Retreat Land Acquisition – Phase 1

Outdoor Driven Healing Retreat – Phase 1: Land Acquisition (Tri-Cities/Thumb, Michigan)

Mission (in our words):
Outdoor Driven is dedicated to assisting our nation’s Heroes by providing them an adventure that is aimed at lessening the impact of their everyday challenges. We are focused on being a support system as we strive to battle PTSD, one mind at a time.

Project Summary

We’re building a permanent home for healing.

Outdoor Driven is a veteran-founded 501(c)(3) that serves veterans, active-duty service members, Gold Star families, and first responders (law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS). For the past two years, we’ve hosted guided hunting, fishing, horseback riding, and outdoor adventures that reconnect heroes with nature—and with one another. These trips are powerful. But today they rely on borrowed or rented spaces, which limits how many people we can serve and how consistently we can support them.

Phase 1 of our long-term vision is to acquire 80–100 acres of accessible land in Michigan’s Tri-Cities/Thumb region (within about an hour of Bay City). This will become the foundation of the Outdoor Driven Healing Retreat: a safe, stigma-free sanctuary where heroes can always return to heal, connect, and rediscover purpose.

Why This Matters

The people we serve carry invisible wounds—trauma, isolation, and the daily weight of service. Too many hesitate to seek help because of stigma or fear of career repercussions. Our approach is simple and deeply human: time outdoors, peer connection, and shared purpose. When you’re in the woods, on the water, or around a fire with people who “get it,” you can finally exhale. That’s where healing begins.

A permanent retreat transforms what we can offer from one-time trips on borrowed land into ongoing, year-round programming: hunts and habitat projects in season, fishing on open water or ice, horsemanship clinics, family days, survivor weekends, skills workshops, and quiet time in nature when that’s what someone needs most.

What Phase 1 Includes

Land Acquisition (80–100 acres): Accessible site in the Tri-Cities/Thumb area with utilities nearby, wildlife habitat, and water/well/pond potential.

Initial Site Readiness: Due diligence (title, survey, environmental/soil checks), basic access, signage, and a simple site plan prioritizing near-term program use and future build-out.

Conservation & Habitat Work (early wins): Trail clearing, invasive removal, food plots, native plantings, and water access improvements. These projects double as service-through-stewardship activities for our heroes.

Future phases (not part of this request) envision a lodge with a professional kitchen, bunkrooms and bathrooms, a great room with a fireplace, meeting spaces, and outdoor features to support year-round programming.

Who We Serve

Veterans & active-duty service members

Gold Star families

First responders: law enforcement, firefighters, and EMS
Participants range from young service members to retirees. We welcome all backgrounds and are committed to making the retreat inclusive and accessible.

Anticipated Outcomes (Phase 1 + early use)

Land secured to serve as a permanent, stigma-free home base.

Program capacity expanded from ~144 served annually today toward 200+ once the property is in use.

Measurable well-being gains: reduced isolation, improved social connection, and self-reported stress relief from time in nature and peer support.

Community stewardship: acres of habitat improved; volunteer hours contributed by heroes, families, and partners.

Sustainable operations foundation enabling responsible growth and long-term impact.

How We’ll Get There (Strategies)

Right-fit site selection: Partnering with local real estate, conservation advisors, and landowners to identify and vet properties that meet program needs (accessibility, utilities, habitat, water).

Phased planning: Start with immediate usability (safe access, basic infrastructure, habitat projects), then grow.

Volunteer-driven model: Our team is 100% volunteer. Veterans and first responders not only participate—they often return as mentors, guides, and project leaders.

Strong community ties: We collaborate with American Legion/VFW posts, firefighter/EMS associations, law enforcement groups, charter captains, guides, churches, businesses, and civic leaders.

Data-informed refinement: Short pre/post surveys, trip debriefs, and open-ended feedback guide how we schedule, design, and improve programs.

Measuring Success

Participation & Access: number of heroes served; waitlist movement; repeat participation and referrals (“bring-a-buddy” effect).

Well-Being Indicators: self-reported changes in stress, isolation, and connection (brief pre/post tools + comments).

Program Quality: satisfaction and “would you return/recommend?” rates; narrative testimonials.

Stewardship Metrics: acres restored, habitat projects completed, volunteer hours.

Partnership Growth: number and depth of collaborating organizations and sponsors.

We use this data to make practical changes—more family days if families ask for them; seasonal schedule tweaks based on demand; accessibility improvements if participants flag hurdles; program content shaped by what heroes say helps most.

Budget Snapshot (Phase 1)

Land Acquisition (80–100 acres) ……………………………… $650,000

Site Preparation & Infrastructure (drive/entry, utilities readiness, signage) … $60,000

Legal & Administrative (title, closing, permits, insurance adjustments) ……… $20,000

Planning & Early Site Design (survey, environmental/soil, phasing) ………… $20,000

Contingency (approx. 5%) …………………………………………………………… $50,000
Total Phase 1 Budget ………………………………………………………………… $800,000

Funding Mix & Sustainability:

Requested support through Benevity and like-minded partners.

Legacy sponsor Maier & Associates Financial Group, Inc.: $10,000/year (5 years).

Annual Golf Outing: typically $6,000–$10,000 raised each year.

Individual & in-kind gifts (gear, guides, food, supplies).

Additional grant applications to regional and national funders.

Lean operations: we are 100% volunteer-run—donor dollars go straight to mission.

Equity, Inclusion, and Access

We welcome all who serve or have served—across race, ethnicity, gender, age, faith, or background. We’re intentional about:

Outreach through diverse community partners (veteran organizations, first responder networks, rural communities).

Reducing participation barriers (no-cost programs, gear provided, travel/car-pool support where possible).

Family-inclusive events and survivor programming for Gold Star families.

Ongoing improvements to site accessibility as we build.

Risk & Safety

Professional guides/charter partners, clear safety protocols, and appropriate insurance.

Environmental due diligence (title, survey, and environmental/soil checks) before acquisition.

Seasonal rules and range/field standards for hunts and outdoor skills activities.

Recognition & Partnership Engagement

We celebrate our partners publicly and meaningfully:

Gratitude across social media, website, newsletters, and community events (including our golf outing).

On-property recognition (signage) once land is secured, so every hero who visits knows who helped make it possible.

Team-building volunteer days for corporate partners: trail work, habitat projects, native plantings, pond/water access cleanups, and more.

What Support Makes Possible

$10,000–$25,000: due diligence, surveys, soil/environmental checks, early habitat projects.

$50,000–$150,000: site readiness—entry/drive improvements, signage, utilities prep, equipment and storage needs.

$250,000+: transformative gifts that directly secure acreage and accelerate early programming.

$650,000+: fully funds land acquisition and launches the retreat’s permanent home.

Our Promise

We’ll steward this land like we steward our mission: with integrity, transparency, and heart. Every acre, every trail, every campfire will serve the people who have already given so much of themselves. With your help, we can give them a place to breathe, a place to belong, and a place to heal—one mind at a time.