Northwest Arkansas non-profit helps veterans to heal through kayaking, fishing

SPRINGDALE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — A Northwest Arkansas non-profit organization is finding a way to help veterans heal by casting a line.

The organization is called “Heroes on the Water,” and at no cost, it provides free kayak fishing experiences to local veterans.

“What we do is we supply kayaks, and of course, we give lessons on the kayaks for their safety. We invite veterans and their families to come. We have fishing poles that you can fish from the dock or from the kayaks. We supply the bait,” Debby Holmes, female veteran outreach liaison, said.

The organization is run by veterans, for veterans.

Brian Clark is a 14-year United States Army veteran with one tour in Afghanistan, but he’s also the coordinator for the Northwest Arkansas ‘Heroes on the Water’ chapter.

Clark has worked with the organization since 2018, and he says he’s seen firsthand the therapeutic effects kayaking has on veterans.

“It’s kind of weird what a piece of plastic does but once you get out on that water, it’s serenity,” Clark said.

He says being out on the water can help to calm their minds, especially for those with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

“That’s kind of our motto is you’re out there, you’re the captain of your own ship. So, a lot of times that just makes things in the outside world go away,” Clark said.

According to Clark, he’s seen many stories of trial turn into testimonies of triumph.

“We had a veteran and his name was Jonathan, and he’s since passed away. He ended up being one of my volunteers and he was wheelchair-bound like myself, but he had the fancy electric one, and we got his hind end out of that wheelchair and we put him in a kayak, and he came back with the biggest smile I’ve ever seen on a human face,” he said.

Holmes says she witnessed stories of success as well.

“We recently had a female veteran who came and kind of hung back, then when she began to realize there were other female veterans who would be glad to listen in or just be with her, pretty soon we got her playing cornhole and smiling. She contacted me a few days later and said ‘I was near suicide you know, I thought I would go to that event, and then that evening I would probably be done with life. But now I have a purpose, I now look forward to life’ and so making a difference, but you never know if it’s great or small, it’s important to do,” Holmes said.

Clark calls moments like these ‘Aha!’ moments because the veterans come back to shore completely different.

“The difference between when they launch as opposed when they come back. It’s just their personalities, their persona. Everything is different,” Clark said.

However, Clark says his favorite part is the camaraderie veterans can find in one another. Because no one knows a veteran, like a veteran.

“What makes me smile and my heart kind of ‘pitter patter’ if you will is when we serve lunch. You see all of them put their chairs together. We don’t do it. They sit around and eat and cut up and laugh and tell stories,” Clark said.

For more information on Heroes on the Water, you can visit its Facebook page .

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