Outdoor Dream Foundation Banquet, And A Pheasant Shoot In The Snow

A sold-out fundraising banquet on Friday evening, Feb. 7, and a snowy pheasant shoot the following day offered testament to some fantastic work being done for special kids and families.

For more than 15 years, Outdoor Dream Foundation (ODF) has been making outdoor adventures come true for kids with chronic illnesses. More than 1,000 kids and their families have been impacted by ODF, a non-profit organization that grants outdoor adventures to children who have diagnosed with terminal or life-threatening illnesses.

Outdoor Dream Foundation is a nationwide organization that has a strong presence in Georgia, as evidenced by the sold-out banquet held in Madison County at the Hull Baptist Church gym.

The Outdoor Dream Foundation fundraising banquet at the Hull Baptist Church gym last month in Madison County was sold out.

“We sold 325 tickets, and we had 375 chairs out. We had probably 40 volunteers including the church who served the food and made the cakes,” said ODF Board Member Stan Elrod.

At the banquet, several ODF kids from recent hunts were presented with mounts of their animals.

The cakes made by the church ladies deserve a special mention. Offered up as the finale in a live auction, there were pound cakes, a red velvet cake, a pan of Mississippi Mud—a wide range of dozens of desert cakes, pies and dishes. The bidding for these cakes went as high and $600 and $700!

The generosity of banquet attendees throughout the evening was heartwarming.

Transporting the ODF hunters from the hunt cabin to the pheasant shoot. “Not even a Georgia blizzard can slow us down!” said Board Member Stan Elrod.

Kids taking part in the Franklin County event got to warm up by shooting skeet.

The money raised that evening and at other banquets and through donations helps fund some amazing hunting and fishing trips for young people and their families.

“When they apply to be a part of ODF, they get to pick three animals. The majority of the kids put in for elk, bear and gator. We try to fill at least one, and if we can, we’ll fill all three,” Stan said. “We do mule deer, antelope, turkey… I’ve got a contact now with the guys on the North Woods Law game warden show to do a lobster trip in Maine and a bear hunt in New Hampshire.

Outdoor Dream Foundation volunteer Ray Brown and ODF hunter Carsyn Long.

“Then we have things like this pheasant hunt in Franklin County—that’s icing on the cake, a bonus outing. We are not a one-and-done organization. When you start, you become part of that Outdoor Dream family. ”

Next year’s northeast Georgia fundraising banquet will likely be moved to a bigger venue. Stan said they’re looking at having it at Emanuel College in Franklin Springs, which should hold around 700 people.

For more info on ODF, visit outdoordream.org.

Outdoor Dream Foundation Board member Stan Elrod and Outdoor Dream hunter Chip Madren.