There are a ton of groups out there that do great work for veterans, but there aren't many that organize hunts for wounded vets. That's the primary thing that makes the Send-A-Vet Foundation different: They attempt to harness the healing power of the outdoors by organizing outdoor adventures for wounded and disabled veterans.

Each year they send dozens of veterans on hunting trips, fishing expeditions and other outdoor adventures. The goal is to help veterans recover from their physical and psychological wounds by getting them out of their houses and into the woods. Anyone with a Purple Heart or a VA disability rating related to the Gulf War or Global War on Terrorism is eligible to participate.

Specifically, the Send-A-Vet Foundation attempts to create a safe and friendly atmosphere where veterans can bond with other people from similar backgrounds and experiences. In many ways, a hunting camp full of other veterans is an ideal place to forge those bonds and help show a struggling veteran that he or she is not alone. After all, it's easier to overcome just about any problem with the help of others who truly understand what you're going through.

Quite often, making that realization and finding a group of people to help share that burden are the most important steps in the process for a person to get back on the right track. With that in mind, it should not be surprising that a significant number of the veterans the group has previously helped now volunteer with Send-A-Vet to assist others deal with the same problems they originally suffered with.

Mike Stilson's recent hunt is just one great example of the work Send-A-Vet does for veterans. Stilson served in the United States Marine Corps from 2006 to 2010 and was wounded by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Iraq during 2007. Mike grew up hunting deer, elk and black bear in Idaho and eastern Washington, and he'd always dreamed of hunting in Africa.

As a veteran of deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan myself, I was honored to work with the Send-A-Vet Foundation and Kok & Seyffert Big Game Hunting (which is also veteran-owned and operated) to make Stilson's African safari a reality in September 2017.

Check out the video above to see how his hunt went.

That particular hunt was just one of many that the Send-A-Vet Foundation has facilitated for wounded veterans over the past few years. To learn more about them and what they do, check out their website and/or Facebook page.

The Send-A-Vet Foundation is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies on donations for all the adventures they sponsor for wounded veterans. To make a donation or to get information on how to participate an outdoor adventure for a wounded or disabled veteran, reach out to them through either site.