LETTER | L4TO

Happy Fall one and all, Happy Thanksgiving, and Merry Christmas!!

First off, we hope that this finds each of you happy, healthy, and blessed!

Second, we wanted to take the time to touch base with our followers, donors, sponsors, and give an update on our busy year! While we attempt to keep everyone in the loop via social media platforms, some things tend to get missed or overlooked, so hopefully this will fill in the blanks.

Major projects-Accomplishments (the Good) for 2024:

Renovation of main living quarters- this was a huge undertaking in that we gutted, remodeled, and rebuilt while attempting to continue day-to-day operations as well as sleep, eat, and function normally. This project is approx. 85% complete with flooring being the largest ticket item left to accomplish, and then the minor cosmetic and aesthetic attributes remaining.
Maintenance and repair of our UTVs- we have a 2012 and a 2019 Polaris Ranger side-by-side.
1. The 2012 has been our workhorse since day one and has endured trips, obstacles, and setbacks that likely should have rendered it unusable in most cases (including surviving a fire some years ago). We take the utmost care with our equipment though, and through God’s grace, this machine is still going strong. This machine did receive amazing love this year though, in that it was torn down to the frame and rebuilt practically from the ground up. New shocks all around, new ball joints, tie rod ends, new front plastics (because of the old fire damage), new winch cable to include repairing the ‘free spool’ on it, rebuilding the dump bed, rerouting air box tube-gear box breather hose-crank case vent, rear sway bar replacement, CV boot repairs, u joint replacement, and of course all the normal stuff: oil, differential fluid, coolant flush, air filters, spark plugs, brake fluid, and greased.
2. The 2019 is our newest machine. On the inaugural trip to Chicken last year (2023), it performed flawlessly until the very last day of the trip, and it developed a noise towards the front end that we suspected could be a front differential issue. Having dealt with a malfunctioning differential before on the 2012, we knew that it would be an extensive process of narrowing down the exact problem, and then it would also potentially be an expensive fix as differential problems are like fixing problems with your vehicle’s transmission. Thankfully, after a couple of weeks of working, looking, testing, trying, and getting frustrated, a broken piece fell out from under the machine and pointed the way to the problem…a bad prop shaft (otherwise known as the driveshaft essentially). Two weeks wait for shipment to the property and a couple hours for install and this machine was well on its way to being trip ready. Fluids, plugs, filters, and a new set of tires rounded out maintenance items on this machine.
Sawmill- This has been a consideration for the organization for many years. Due to the distance from hardware stores, price of fuel (especially in our remote area), and the desire to grow and expand to meet the needs and expectations of our visitor populace, we have researched and saved to make this happen. Delivery was accepted this Spring for our brand-new sawmill. A covered work area, approximately 12 foot deep by 40 feet long, was erected to house the mill and placed in an area out of the way of obstacles and foot traffic. The mill still needs final assembly to be fully operational, but we are hoping to begin felling trees this winter to have on hand when the mill is fully operational.
Contacts- We averaged 20 veteran contacts per month this year so far. To break this down and give more context, a contact can be anything from a face-to-face meeting, a received email, text message, phone call, or referral by a friend, family member, or another service organization.
1. Within these contacts, I would like to highlight some things (due to the sensitive nature of what we do and the individual’s rights and privacy, we do keep things vague intentionally):
  - we were able to assist in relocating a veteran and family
  - assisted in disability claims research and guidance with a VSO (veteran service officer) for several individuals. This is a big part of what we do in that helping veterans obtain compensation for wounds, injuries, or disabilities helps to provide a greater quality of life for the veteran and their family.
  - Partnered with numerous other veteran service organizations that provide services outside of our purview to ensure that individuals receive the help that they need, no matter what the request. If we can’t be the ones that can help, we want to make sure the effort doesn’t end there.
  - Finally able to harvest from our gardening efforts to help offset food shortages for community veterans and their families.

Concerns-Issues-Problems (the Bad):

No report is complete without discussing the unfortunate side of things…

Banking- We have had the worst luck with our attempts to find a financial institution that is “nonprofit” friendly (primarily low cost or ‘free’ banking, no minimum account amounts, no monthly charges, etc.) If anyone has any ideas, please, please, please contact us! We have currently reached out to several financial institutions to see what they can offer us or if they can provide services we are looking for.
Despite the best efforts to keep equipment up and running and in top order, things just happen. Specifically, during our annual trip to Chicken, Alaska, we encountered numerous mechanical failures, including our newer 2019 UTV throwing a “code” suggesting that the brakes had failed. We purchased new pads (according to research, the code supposedly meant the pads were too worn) and replaced them in camp. However, the problem persisted, and we were unable to utilize this machine during the trip. Diagnosis is still ongoing for this problem, and it is looking more and more like either a lose wire somewhere, or a faulty sensor…prayers we can figure this one out soon!
The blades on our oars for one of our river rafts did not make last winter. The oars (and blades) were a donation from some time ago and accordingly a bit aged to begin with. Nevertheless, we are working with a local guide company for the donation or considerable price drop for a set of newer oars and whatever other equipment and supplies they are willing to part with. Our goal is to be back up and running with rafting trips this coming season.
Our snowmachines (snow mobiles, depending on where you live). We currently have 3 machines, and one is functional. Backstory: two machines were previously Park Service machines and procured through Government resale programs at highly discounted prices. These machines were graciously donated by another Vet Org that we partner with. They are however, much older and quite well used. Nevertheless, they are solid machines but need standard maintenance items taken care of; namely rebuilding of the carburetors. The other machine was one that was personally procured and is utilized both within the organization, and for personal use on site. This machine stopped running while in use last year, and due to busy schedules, we have not been able to effectively diagnose the issue. It is suspected to be the stator (electrical) that has failed.

Beyond that, we are very blessed by your support and assistance and could not continue to serve the veterans of our great nation without you! From the bottom of our hearts, we want to say a very BIG thank you and may God Bless you through your contributions.

As always, we want to remind everyone that there are still veterans and their families that are in need of assistance or help in some way. If you, or someone you know, is aware of a veteran in need, please do not assume that the individual knows how to get help, or even knows where to get help. Feel free to refer them our way. If we don’t have the assistance they need, we don’t stop there, we make sure to go above and beyond to find what they need or at a minimum, point them in the right direction. Also, please feel free to share this letter with your friends and family as they may know someone who could benefit from our programs.

As we pray for each and every one of you this holiday season, we ask that you keep our Nation, our Nation’s military, and our veterans and their families in your prayers as well. Together, we are making a difference in people’s lives, one family at a time. Big blessings this holiday season, and may God return tenfold your generosity.

Living 4 Them Outdoors Alaska