Our Mission
Valor & Honor Outdoors is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity organization whose mission is to honor all military personnel, past and present, who have served with “Valor and Honor.”
We are dedicated to providing unique outdoor experiences to active-duty military, veterans, and their families. Operated entirely by volunteers, our passion is fishing and hunting, although we also provide opportunities for other outdoor activities such as camping, kayaking, archery, target-practice, and horseback riding.
Whether a wounded warrior needs to regain physical and/or mental well-being, or an active military member is looking for a respite from the pressures of current service, Valor & Honor strives for a low-stress, hands-on outdoor adventure. We have several youth-oriented hunting and fishing events that allow both parents and children to join us and share the outdoors together.
Our Goal
Our goal is to provide an expense-free trip for participants. We attempt to cover all lodging and most meals during the time they are with us.
Also provided are the customary items used for the various outdoor activities such as fishing equipment and lures, use of boats and fuel, kayaks, paddles and life preservers, game blinds and calls, ammunition, etc. This equipment is often provided by a number of in-kind sponsors we are blessed to have as partners.
Most of our guests are currently serving on active-duty and while we want to recognize and honor their service, we are always conscious of their need for privacy.
In our commitment to ensuring operational security, we will not publish the full names of our participants. They can be confident their privacy will always be respected.
Our Story
Ben Perez, one of our founders, has been a competitive duck caller since the age of fourteen. Early in his calling career, while attending a goose hunt for charity in Easton, MD, Ben was asked by Dave Elwing (USMC) if he would be willing to come to the Quantico Marine Corps base and be a part of a waterfowl hunt organized by QIMSA, the Quantico Injured Military Sportsman Association.
Dave thought the wounded warriors would enjoy hearing Ben give a short seminar about duck calling and then call in the ducks for them on their hunts. A few weeks later, Ben and his father John Perez met Fred Salo and the rest of the QIMSA team. That event led to a series of hunts over the next few years, a strong relationship with QIMSA, and a great appreciation for their mission.
Being strategically located close to Ft. Bragg, John and Ben realized that they could do more than just one or two hunts a year for these heroes and began to host soldiers for fishing and hunting outings at their own property. As the demand for these outings grew, Valor & Honor Outdoors was born.
We will always be grateful to Dave, Fred, and the QIMSA organization for inspiring us with their support of military veterans.
Our Events
We conduct activities year-round, with our current focus on fishing, hunting, camping and boating. We are working on offering metal detecting in the near future. We lease several farms, and have access to other private land thanks to the support of generous landowners.
Additionally we fish many of the public lakes in the central North Carolina area. In 2017 we anticipate being able to provide several outings in other states as well. As our donor and volunteer base grows, we look forward to expanding our impact to a greater number of deserving service members.