Starting today, for the next month (6/19-7/10), our friends and supporters at Tupelo Honey Cafe at Market Square in Knoxville will be doing a fundraiser to help purchase emergency medical gear for our team. After a great meal, there will be additional line on your receipt where you can add a donation to help us fund these items. By supporting the team, you become part of the rescue!
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, I wrote a this post about a great place called Three Rivers Market. Before we moved deeper into the mountains of North Carolina, we were members there and enjoyed their locally farmed produce and bulk foods. Every couple months, I still buy my 50 pound bag of organic rolled oats there.
For the month of June, our team is honored to be the recipient of the Nourishing Change Grant. Basically, anytime you or another customer makes a purchase, you can round up your change and/or donate extra to the team. This money has already been earmarked to buy our team swiftwater rescue gear for operations in Great Smoky Mountain National Park.
On Saturday, June 9th at 1:30 pm, our team will also be on site doing Preventative – Search & Rescue demos targeting kids, but there will be good stuff for adults too.
So come visit us, meet some team members, and pet Kato the Magnificent..
By rounding up your change, or donating, you are become part of the rescue!
Hit the woods and dig up some grub on Saturday April 28 with BigPig Outdoors.
Go here to sign up: Spring Foraging
The first Women Gone Wild class was a success, with Mother Nature hammering the class with a relentless 2.5 inches of rain!! The ladies turned adversity into triumph, building shelters and fires in the rain and overcoming multiple survival challenges.
The creek was so swollen that we had to hunt for an eddy that would allow full body immersion without getting swept away.
This weekend, I am hosting another private Women’s Only class, but there have been a couple of last minute cancellations.
Click here to read about Sophie the Survivor’s experience
Click here to read about the curriculum
And email me at bigpigoutdoors@gmail.com if you want to sign up
Last August, Team BUSAR spent over 632 hours while searching for missing teen, Austin Bohanan. Austin walked out under his own power, but his family graciously wants to recognize our efforts for our hard work in some the toughest terrain in the park.
This Saturday, the Bohanon’s will be hosting a fundraiser at Maple Grove Missionary Church in Maryville, between 3 and 7 pm. There will be a chili to eat ($5) and a silent auction. The Team will also be doing demos to help increase backcountry safety and educate your kids before your summer adventures. We will teach your kids what to do when lost, first aid demos, drone demo, ropework, and Kato the search dog is going to show up.
The event is open to everyone, so swing on by, meet some of the team members, bid on some items, and let your kids have some fun while learning lifesaving skills. Donations go directly to the team to help fund training and gear purchases.
Thanks for your support and we will see you there
Location: Maple Grove Missionary Church 3201 Carpenter’s Grade Rd. Maryville, TN 37803
Date: Saturday, March 10
Time: 3pm – 7pm
Demo times: 4-5pm & 6-7pm
Event info: https://www.facebook.com/events/199089874003269/
The story of BUSAR is in the top five finalists for WBIR Superstories. Follow this link to see our story and vote. BUSAR Superstory
Our story will be aired on Superbowl Sunday if we win, so head on over and cast your vote. More exposure for the team will hep us secure more funding, allowing us to purchase lifesaving gear and training.
While my name is in the spotlight, this team wouldn’t have formed without my dedicated and hard working team members, both past and present, the support from our families, and the opportunity from the park. From carryouts, to recoveries, to plane crashes, to missing hikers, BUSAR has been behind the scenes of search and rescue in the Smokies for the last two and half years.
To learn more about the team, go here: teambusar.org
And to read more about it’s formation, go here: Team BUSAR
