Page 62 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2018

SPORTS & OUTDOORS overcoming obstacles
story and photos by Frank Wilem
hose of us who like to hunt often take our ability to engage in this activity for granted. But there are many children and adults with special needs who are not as fortunate.
That’s why Kidz Outdoors was formed to help such children who otherwise would never have the chance to participate in outdoor activities.
Will O’Neal and Wes Martin with trophy Aoudad sheep.
Steve Smith had never even heard of Kidz Outdoors the first time
he agreed to let one of the Kidz Hunt take place on his 5,600-acre ranch. By the end of that very first hunt, he was an avid supporter.
So much so, that the 1,000 acres
he had purchased and high fenced to resell was, instead, reserved strictly to be hunted by Kidz.
Recently, we had the chance to join Steve to film an episode of Find Your Outdoors with Will O’Neal and Bailey Shakelford. Bailey’s dad, Jason, loves to hunt but regretted that Bailey could
never accompany him. At 13 months of age, Bailey began to have seizures that ultimately led to epilepsy. As he grew older, he was also diagnosed with autism as well as dystonia and then later with a fatal genetic disorder, neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL). So, as you might imagine, a great deal of his life is spent simply coping with the challenges wrought by these various diseases.
For children who are unable
to hold a gun, Kidz Outdoors provides an apparatus that enables them to overcome their handicaps. With this, Bailey finally had the chance to hunt with his father after all these years.
Bailey was plenty excited as they loaded up in the truck and headed out in search of a Texas dall sheep over 150 pounds that Steve had earlier spotted. Once in range, Rick Clark set up the apparatus and helped sight it before Bailey took the shot and harvested his first animal.
Those of us who are free of handicaps find it difficult to appreciate what this can mean to those who suffer from disabilities
and spend much of their lives in their struggles just to meet day- to-day needs. Facing mountains of medical expenses, many such families cannot afford the cost. So, when Kidz enables them to participate in outdoor activities such as hunting or fishing like other children, the effect is amazing.
Carol Clark, founder of Kidz Outdoors, knows this better
than anyone. She has seen the positive effects of these outdoors experiences last for weeks or months afterwards and with some the change is permanent.
Jason Shakelford, Wes Martin and Bailey Shakelford with Texas dall sheep.
62 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • December 2018
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