MISSION ADVENTURES

B4 Outdoors was formed with a single mission focus – to provide veterans, first responders, law enforcement officers and youth with life-changing outdoor adventures through hunting and fishing. This vision grew out of founder Kevin Rhodes’ experiences of volunteering with several outdoor and wildlife organizations through which he guided and mentored under privileged kids and Wounded Warriors.

After completing formal guide school training, Kevin formed B4 Outdoors in 2018. During the first five years, B4 hosted approximately 100 men, women, and youth in a variety of outdoor adventures. These adventures have included a wide array of hunting: whitetail deer from our base of operations in Missouri (the Colonel’s Cabin), elk hunts in Colorado, bear hunts in North Carolina, quail hunts in South Carolina, predator hunts in Alabama, and turkey and waterfowl hunting in multiple states. Fishing excursions have included spoonbill fishing in the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri and ice fishing in Minnesota.

These adventures have been made possible through many constituents of B4: board members, landowners, like-minded outfitters, and other supporters. Plans are underway to expand the number of yearly adventures that B4 can host.

Bagging wild game and catching trophy fish are exciting opportunities. But the real benefit of what B4 does is found in the relationships that are developed in camp. With an interest in the outdoors being a common denominator among those we serve, the differences vary wildly. They have hailed from across the United States: from Pennsylvania to Florida to Minnesota to Kansas to Oregon and points in between. Ages have varied from 10 to 76. African Americans, Caucasians, and Latinos – men and women. Active-duty service members; veterans; local, state, and federal law enforcement officers; firemen and EMT’s; and kids and teenagers.

Bonds are developed as they plan hunts and where to cast rods; track and clean game, share meals together, and “embellish” stories of kills and catches. Stresses of past traumas and day-to-day operational pressures are released through conversations around camp fires. New friends are made through shared experiences, and contacts continue through social media long after the adventures have completed.

Some say the thrill is in the hunt. At B4 Outdoors, our thrill is seeing rehabilitation realized. It is a passion for us!!