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About us
Veterans Outdoor Adventures is a non-profit organization founded by Curt Baumann of Dover, Ohio who was encouraged by Donnie Edwards, founder of The Best Defense foundation, a charitable group for veterans bringing veterans back to their battlegrounds. The Veterans Outdoor Adventures organization connects disabled veterans with nature, giving them the opportunity to experience the therapeutic benefits of outdoor activities such as: hunting, fishing, and archery.
Many veterans enjoy hunting but can no longer climb into a tree stand or withstand the cold. This is where VOA provides deer stands/hunting blinds for veterans who are unable to hunt for reasons of age, disability, or the cold. The blinds are stand-alone structures with carpets, heat, furniture, windows, and stairs so no one has to climb a tree.
The heart of the foundation is Eric Dyrlund and Jason Brown, two Canton firefighters who volunteer for the group. They design the stands and do the early prep work, saving time once the crew is onsite.
The organization's volunteers have built stands for WWII veteran Harry “Pete” Shaw, Robert Fulton, John Smith and air force veteran Troy Hershey. The stand built for Shaw has a recliner, while Fulton’s has a plaque on the door with his name, service, and rank. Each stand is built to meet the unique needs of each veteran.
Baumann and his co-founder, Frank Susskey, are always looking for additional ways to help veterans enjoy the outdoors. Their recent outdoor activities include archery, fishing, and hunting. The organizations’ goal is to bring joy to veterans by reconnecting them to the outdoors.
Curt Baumann
Veterans Outdoor Adventures is a non-profit organization founded by Curt Baumann who is a Air Force Veteran, OEF/OIF. Curt resides in Northern Tuscarawas county with his Wife Courtney and 3 kids, Alyvia, Madelynn and Wyatt. He retired from Veterans Affairs after 14 years of service.
He grew up in Rural southern Minnesota on a family operated farm, he is the oldest out of 5 brothers and 2 sisters who all still reside in Minnesota and Iowa area. Curt recently graduated as a gunsmith from Pennsylvania Gunsmith School.
Frank Susskey
Frank Susskey, a life flight pilot, having retired as a helicopter pilot who served 25 years with the Marines, Army and Coast Guard. Frank is from Massachusetts and is currently working as a helicopter EMS. “This is just a small way where several of us can give back,” Susskey said. “If we make one veteran smile one day out of the year, that’s one more than there was before.”
Jason Hancock
Jason Hancock, is a Retired US Army Soldier having served at DIV & CORPS to SQUADRON & COMPANY levels in both combat and peacetime operational deployments in various Command & Staff positions. As a displaced Texan living in Massillon Ohio Jason enjoys a relatively quiet semi-retired life with his brilliant psychologist wife and three children, and dogs Beaux & Chet. He and Allison both volunteer with the local school district and Project KARE in Stark County.
Jason Brown
Jason Brown, a Navy veteran and Canton firefighter for 23 years and Stark State instructor is a volunteer for VOA. He helps design the stands and does the early prep work, saving time once the crew is onsite.
Eric Dyrlund
Eric Dyrlund, a Captain in the Canton fire department and serves as the
team lead Forman for VOA and architectural designer on all builds. Eric resides in Northern Tuscarawas county with his wife Traci and daughter Lexi. He also instructs at the fire academy instructor for 13 years, and previously owned a construction company for 15 years.
Contact Us
We are currently serving veterans in Northeast and Southeast Ohio.
Veterans Outdoor Adventures Ohio
