AHERO Magazine -Spring.Summer 2019

AHERO Comes to The Wharf at Orange Beach

From Pensacola to Alabama: “Breathe Easy” Owners Matt & Amy McDonald Help Bring AHERO to Orange Beach By Connie Conway

With a slight Western twang in his southern accent (Oklahoma-raised, he’s been a transplant to Alabama since age 15), business owner and fishing-tournament competitor Matt McDonald explained how, in 2016, he and his wife, Amy, were introduced on very short notice to AHERO. “Amy and I were out on the Gulf, headed back to Orange Beach from a tournament.” the Daphne, Ala., resident recalled, “We got a call from Ashleigh McKenzie, who was helping with a Veterans group planning a fishing event out of Pensacola Beach. Ashleigh’s a great friend and we care a lot about our Vets, so we were interested to hear what they were doing.” Some other owners were helping with their boats, McKenzie told the couple, but what was needed was a boat as big as McDonald’s “Breathe Easy” that could accommodate disabled Vets. Aboard their beautiful, 68-ft Viking sport-fishing yacht, the couple agreed to do it.

“We came back, told the people goodbye that we’d been fishing with, cleaned out the boat, turned around, and headed to Pensacola. Got there at about 11:30 the night before the event,” McDonald said. He had never heard of “American Heroes Enjoying Recreation Outdoors,” or AHERO, but the idea of helping wounded and injured Vets and active-service members to enjoy the sort of deep-sea fishing he himself cherished appealed to him. “I didn’t know who they’d be or what the point of AHERO was, really. But once we’d picked up our passengers, things started to change. From wondering what was wrong with this one or that one, or noticing someone a little on edge, we started to see how much they were enjoying the experience. That made the point very clear.” The point, of course, was that most of the Vets were finding themselves having a ball doing something they loved but hadn’t done in years, or never had done but had dreamed of doing. Or, most discouraging of all, had given up hope of ever doing, because of all they’d been through. In its seventh year of existence at the time, AHERO had organized the event taking great pains to ensure that all participating boat owners, local merchants, restaurants and private citizens received a briefing that underscored how valuable their interest, time and resources were to these Vets. “AHERO volunteer Dave Glassman spoke,” McDonald recalled. “He told us, ‘I want you to be thinking about the Vets– how your efforts make a big difference to them.” Heading home afterward, McDonald thought of all the good that involving others in this effort could do. Blessed with business success, a lovely wife and two wonderful daughters, he thought about his good fortune and the debt we all owe those who have sacrificed guarding

our freedom to pursue our dreams. “I told my friend, Art Favre, about AHERO’s Warrior Hook-Up and the group’s big fundraising drive for the lodge. I started with, ‘Hey, Art, I need a donation for this terrific organization I’m involved with.’ That was before I knew about the Veteran hiring program Art had started at his company. We discussed the respect and gratitude we both have for the Vets.” “The lodge” that AHERO was trying to raise money to build is the Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston Lodge named for Medal of Honor recipient USMC Maj. Gen. Livingston, one of the most extraordinary heroes of the Korean and Vietnam wars. Planned for the AHERO camp in Shorter, Ala., the facility will accommodate up to 40 guest Veterans during hunting events that AHERO runs every year. There, the Vets will gather together to eat, talk, laugh, mentor or be mentored as they share experiences and concerns and forge new friendships that last. To date, McDonald has managed to raise many thousands of dollars toward the $1M cost of the projected lodge and other AHERO programs that encourage participation in outdoor activities. “When we got back from that first event,” he mused, “I remember saying to Amy how big game fishing is something I love and get to do all the time, but the Vets we’d met that day didn’t get to do it at all. And how grateful they were, when it’s us who are the grateful ones. We agreed that if taking Veterans out on the boat fishing for just 4 or 5 hours had that much positive impact, imagine what we can do if we really get involved and get others involved, too.” His comment proved prophetic. “Now Art Favre is making it possible to have a Warrior Hook-Up at his fantastic Wharf at Orange Beach resort in May,” McDonald said. “And, like Amy and me, he doesn’t want it to be just a oneand-done deal. He plans to make it an annual event.” (l-r:) Top: Amy & Matt McDonaldL, (l-r:) Bottom: Avery & Abby McDonald

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