Where do we find volunteers?  

It is a question we have asked more than once. Traditionally, the answer is outreach, applications, and hoping the right people find us. Lately, we have taken a different approach. Instead of waiting, we are going where the people already are. Specifically, the people who already do the kind of work we rely on.

 

This weekend, Jeremy, Nathan, and John represented Grounded Boots Relief at the Uwharrie Season Opener and Swap Meet. It turned out to be exactly where we needed to be. Conversation after conversation followed the same pattern. Off roaders told us they had brought their rigs to Western North Carolina after Helene, ready to help, only to be turned away and sent home. They had the capability, but no clear lane to operate in.

 

That is the gap Grounded Boots Relief exists to fill.

Grounded Boots Relief is not a group that shows up unannounced or tiptoes around emergency management. We work with them whenever possible, ensuring we are not duplicating efforts or creating additional problems. The goal is to take capable volunteers, organize them, and deploy them where they are actually needed. Not as vigilantes, but as a coordinated, trusted resource.

 

That message resonated. You could see it in the conversations. People were not just interested; they were relieved. They needed direction, structure,  permission, and a way to contribute that actually makes sense. That tells us we are on the right track.

 

There is one important reality that comes with that. Recruitment does not ideally happen when a disaster hits. It happens now. It is far more effective to bring people in early, get them familiar with how we operate, and build a team that is ready before it is needed. If you already enjoy off roading, every trail run becomes more than just recreation. It becomes practice. It becomes preparation.

 

If you have been considering joining Grounded Boots Relief, do not wait for the next storm. Get involved now. When the time comes, the difference between chaos and capability is preparation.

Judy lost her home during Hurricane Helene in Mill Spring, and fallen trees still limit access across her property.

This upcoming Saturday, April 11, Grounded Boots Relief will be back in Polk County continuing long term recovery efforts. We will be cutting, clearing, and moving debris to help restore safe access. This is hands on work with real impact.

If you want to be part of it, we would be glad to have you. Whether you bring a chainsaw, a wheelbarrow, muscle, or just a willingness to work, there is a place for you on site.

Reply here to get involved, or join our Discord for full details and real time coordination:

https://discord.com/events/1455732012085154019/1489030929128095905

Show up ready. We will take care of the rest. Lunch is provided. You just have to RSVP so we can plan accordingly.

When something goes wrong, the first few minutes matter. This is your opportunity to be the person who knows what to do.

Grounded Boots Relief is hosting a CPR and Stop the Bleed certification course on April 25 from 11 AM to 3 PM in Henderson County. The exact location will be shared with registered participants. This is hands-on, practical training designed to give you real skills you can use in an emergency.

The course is $75 per student and includes American Heart Association certification. Instruction will be led by Dr. Laura Block, a cardiac arrest survivor and experienced medical professional. You will learn how to perform high-quality CPR, properly use an AED, and respond to choking in adults, children, and infants.

Space is limited to 10 students to ensure quality instruction and hands-on experience. Once those spots are filled, registration will close.

If you are unable to attend but still want to support the mission, you can sponsor a student and help ensure someone else is trained and ready.

Register now at groundedbootsrelief.org/events. Be prepared, be capable, and be ready when it matters.

Off-roading is not about speed.
On one of the most famous trails in the country, the Rubicon Trail, the average speed is just 1 to 5 miles per hour. Slow, controlled driving is what gets you through, not horsepower.  
Source: hollywoodchryslerjeep.com

Group conversations are becoming the norm within Grounded Boots Relief, and that is a bigger milestone than I expected it to be.

 

Board meetings, leadership discussions, volunteer conversations. They are happening with me, and just as importantly, without me. That is both a relief and something I am genuinely excited about. It means people are not just showing up: They are investing, thinking, and building.

 

This was never meant to be the John Badger show. From day one, the goal has been to create something that grows beyond any one person. I have always held the bullhorn since the inception of GBR, but only to have a single rallying point for clarity of operations. Someone had to say, “we are going this way,” especially early on. But now, watching departments talk to each other, watching ideas form and move forward without needing my fingerprints on every step, that is where the organization starts to become real.

 

The formal board meetings are important. They lock things in, put structure to decisions, and keep us accountable. But the real magic is happening in the conversations between those meetings. Different parts of the organization working together, solving problems, building momentum. That is where Grounded Boots Relief stops being a concept and starts operating like a system.

 

We are also stepping into something new. College collaboration. I cannot get too far into the details yet, but we are making real progress with local colleges to bring in students through structured opportunities tied to their fields of study. It creates support for the organization and experience for them.

 

It has been a busy couple of weeks. I am aware that I tend to sound excited. That is because I am. Possibly to an overwhelming degree. If you have ever been trapped in a truck with me for six hours, you already know this.

If you're a volunteer with Grounded Boots Relief: from the bottom of my heart... Thank you.