Sheep Dog Impact Assistance- WI Team

Founded in 2010, Sheep Dog Impact Assistance (SDIA) is a national non-profit organization founded and headquartered in Rogers, Arkansas. Our local Team is located in Rock, County Wisconsin serving the state of Wisconsin. Western Wisconsin also has team, SheepDogIA-Western WI. SDIA exists to engage, assist and empower our nation’s “Sheep Dogs” (military veterans, law enforcement, fire & rescue, and EMS personnel) to Get Off The Couch™ and reengage in living a meaningful and productive life.

OUR MISSION Improving the lives of our nation’s veterans and first responders in need by helping them Get Off The Couch™ and reengage in living an active, meaningful & productive life through our Outdoor Adventures, Warrior PATHH and Disaster Response Mission Programs.

The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) states that more than 6,000 Veterans die by suicide each year, and twice as many First Responders die by suicide than in the line of duty. Post-traumatic stress, injuries, depression, addiction, and isolation plague our Sheep Dogs to the point of thinking about and/or attempting suicide. By gathering together Sheep Dogs who have suffered similar traumas & experiences in opportunities for physical activity, camaraderie & healing (Outdoor Adventures), peer-to-peer training to transform struggle into strength and posttraumatic growth (Warrior PATHH), and volunteer opportunities for Continued Service (disaster response missions), SDIA has found this process to be critical to their overall well-being.

SDIA is able to ENGAGE, ASSIST & EMPOWER our nation’s heroes to Get Off The Couch™ with their brothers & sisters, which prevents suicides in our Veteran and First Responder communities.

CYCLE OF WELLNESS TRIANGLE & THE CONTINUUM OF CARE:

It is SDIA’s belief and intention that the Veterans & First Responders whom we serve enter a unique and impactful “cycle of wellness” through SDIA programming.

1) This Cycle of Wellness ideally begins with SDIA’s Outdoor Adventure program, promoting an active lifestyle, an introduction to Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) & the “Struggle Well” concepts, while providing participants with vital peer support & camaraderie. Participants are then encouraged and invited to become students of SDIA’s

2) Warrior PATHH program, which is a non-clinical mental wellness training program. Warrior PATHH dives deep into PTG and the “Struggle to Strength” messaging.

3) The third part of the healing process is SDIA’s Continued Service/Disaster Response (Volunteerism) program. Participating in Continued Service opportunities reinforce the importance of continuing to serve and give back through volunteering within their communities. After all, “Helping is Healing” and “Helping Others is a Way of Life”.