About the Nonprofit
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Reel Warriors Foundation (RWF) provides no cost, saltwater sport fishing experiences to veterans of all US military branches. As combat veterans with experience in Post Traumatic Stress (PTS) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), cofounders Nicholas Piscitelli and Joseph Hummel began saltwater sport fishing together and quickly realized the therapeutic benefits. Physical activity, sunshine, the calmness and quiet of the ocean all served to ease the symptoms of their illnesses and together they supported each other during the healing process. As natural philanthropists, Joey and Nick immediately had the idea to extend the same opportunity to as many veterans as possible and just a few months later that vision came to fruition.
The first RWF charter departed Fisherman’s Landing on July 13, 2019, and since that date over 100 veterans have participated in our unique sport fishing experience in Orange and San Diego Counties. Our mission is to grow the program within our local market and continue our expansions into Oregon, Florida, Missouri, Texas, Massachusetts and Alaska. RWF has expanded by establishing relationships with people like Capt. Jeff Spafford of the Outrider Sportfishing in San Diego, CA and Capt. Johnny Riggs in Fort Myer, Florida who have provided no cost fishing trips to veterans. As we grow into new markets, volunteers will be identified to support the market and host our veterans. As an example, in 2022 for the first time ever, our goal is to host an all expenses paid, 5 day trip to Alaska for 20 veterans. In addition to fishing experiences, veterans will receive sport fishing equipment, goody bags containing RWF and sponsor branded merchandise and a resource sheet (sponsored by generous donors) to encourage them to continue this therapeutic hobby.
While sport fishing supports the emotional and mental health of veterans by providing them a healthy outlet, it also is key to a healthy marine environment. As a part of our mission RWF supports marine wildlife conservation efforts by purchasing fishing licenses for all of our participants, participating in beach clean-ups and we only utilize charter companies that follow local, state and federal guidelines. According to the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, revenue generated from the purchase of fishing licenses supports local fisheries that stock our lakes and waterways, enhances water quality, improves fishing and boating access and promotes long term conservation efforts. Our organization and our veterans have a deep respect for marine life and provide additional support through beach clean up efforts at least two times per year. We evaluate all charter companies we employ to ensure they too value conservation, are operating in accordance with all regulations and are not overfishing our lakes and oceans.
Beyond simply providing a new experience and supporting conservation efforts, our goal is to extend a network of invaluable resources to our veteran community. As they depart from their expedition, they will be invited to join the RWF social network where they can connect with other veterans, find necessary resources and offer services to their peers. Services currently within our network include small business owners, lawyers, accountants, commercial real estate providers and much more. It is our goal to grow this community to include other needed resources, such as veteran housing organizations, and mental health organizations. Through improved digital marketing and moderation, this growing community will provide mentorship and resources to veterans with the click of a mouse. Most importantly, those services will be provided by other veterans who have shared similar experiences and create a safe environment for participants.
Our community will extend beyond our online platform and into collaborations with other veteran organizations. It is our goal to connect with other well established organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the American Legion, the Warrior Foundation/Liberty Station, and other local organizations to broaden our reach. These collaborations will allow us to reduce our overhead expense through co-sponsorship opportunities, increase our access to struggling veterans and support continued expansion of much needed resources for our growing community. RWF will be seen as a partner, rather than a competitor because we serve as the gateway to the services these organizations provide.