Our Motto
People changing lives through the outdoors.
Ground Level Outdoors Board Members
Kenny Monzon - President, Spokesman, Donations Coordinator
Shane Dunning has been a hunter for as long as he can remember. From the early age of 8 he began to accompany his father into the woods on hunting trips and into the field. His father owned beagles and enjoyed rabbit hunting and Shane learned from him. His father also introduced him to deer hunting at an early age and he later took up raccoon hunting. He enjoys listening to the dogs trailing a raccoon through the woods at night. He occasionally will go on a hunt with friends and says that someday he intends to get another coon dog when the time permits him to be more dedicated to the sport. Shane was able to experience some 35 years of hunting with his father before he passed. Whether hunting together or by sharing stories of their exploits, there was always that bond. Due to these experiences with his dad, Shane enjoys all types of hunting and believes that he is the person he is today because of those early lessons.
Several years ago, Shane said that he wished there was something that could be done to get kids involved in the outdoors that wouldn’t cost them a lot of money. Shane came up with the idea to host a Jake’s Kids event and it started with just a handful of volunteers and an idea. From this initial event, it was obvious that there was a need. The next thing he knew, this idea had taken on a life of its own and became Ground Level Outdoors. Now, a 501c3 organization, this organization continues to expand and grow.
Shane believes that introducing anyone, especially a child, to the outdoors can have a lasting impact and teach many life lessons. Shane loves to introduce people to the sport of turkey hunting and has taken several kids and adults on their first turkey hunt. Shane says he enjoys sharing that initial experience with a new hunter. Shane points out that some of his best friends have been made through hunting. He says he cannot underestimate the significance of the outdoors in his life. Shane enjoys spending time outdoors with his family on the river or in the woods. He believes that these experiences are rare in today’s fast paced world and believes that they should be cherished.
Todd Forrest
Todd Forrest has enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping and really anything in the outdoors since he was young, tagging along with his dad and granddad. He also enjoys sharing those activities, moments and memories with his three children.
He became involved with Ground Level Outdoors after attending an event with his children. He thought that it was just so hard to believe all the things that were happening there for the kids and for absolutely no money to the attendees. The following year, he began donating to the event to help it continue. He became more involved as time went by and eventually, in 2019, he became a member of the board of directors.
He believes that Jake’s Day Out is one of the best programs in the country in which kids are introduced into the outdoors for absolutely no cost to them or their parents. He feels that with this program, there is absolutely not reason that anyone can’t, at the very least, come out and have a good time.
Kathryn Lowry - Treasurer, Advertising Coordinator
Kathryn brings many years of experience in the outdoors. She began fishing and hiking as a child with her family. Her father would take her pheasant hunting with him on occasion. She did not actually get to hunt, but she enjoyed the time in the fields with her dad. He also introduced her to shooting and archery.
She introduced her son to fishing and hiking as well, beginning at the age of 2. She was her son’s Den Leader in Cub Scouts, taking him from Tiger cub to Webelos. She continued hiking, fishing, camping and canoeing with him and his pack after leaving as a leader. When he crossed over to boy scouts, her adventures with the scouts ended, but she continued these activities outside the troop with her son. He wanted to hunt, so she started taking him hunting as well, and discovered that she really enjoyed it. In 2019 she got her first buck on a muzzleloader hunt. Her son is still an avid outdoorsman. Hiking, fishing and hunting are still very much a part of his life. He was on his high school’s fishing team and golf team, the KBFTN team and he also made Eagle Scout. She’s very proud of him and believes in the life altering effects of introducing him to the outdoors at an early age.
Kathryn became involved in Ground Level Outdoors after her son, Evan, won the 2016 Grand Prize. She started off helping with advertising and graphic design with flyers and signage. Eventually she was invited to attend the meetings and ultimately asked to join the organization. She was voted in as the Treasurer in 2018. She continues to do the organizations advertising, signage and now the website; and also assists with social media. She has enjoyed her time with Ground Level Outdoors and truly believes in the mission of GLO and the power of the outdoors to change lives.
Sandy Tuberville, Secretary
Sandy Tuberville didn’t grow up hunting or fishing and had never been hunting until she met her husband. He, on the other hand, had been hunting and fishing his entire life and when their children were born, he couldn’t wait to take them hunting and teach them all the life lessons that come along with that. As their children grew up they started inviting their friends over on the weekends and holiday breaks. Her husband, without hesitation, would load up a truck full of kids and take them hunting. For years, this was a regular occurrence most weekends and holiday breaks, but as the kids got older, these outings slowed down. While Sandy rarely went with them, she would always make sure they were well fed before they left. That became a regular thing, she would cook a huge meal and he would take them hunting.
Sandy’s involvement with Ground Level Outdoors started because her husband and son attended the very first Jake’s Night Out event. She vividly remembers them telling her all about the event when they got home. In the years to come, she would volunteer and eventually take over the responsibility of the kitchen and became the Secretary of the organization.
She feels that being able to volunteer for Ground Level Outdoors and the Jake’s Day Out event, allows her to continue to carry on the tradition that she and her husband had when their kids were growing up.
Jason Pilkinton
Jason’s earliest memories of hunting were, like most kids, with his dad. He would tag along on deer hunts, mostly deer drives, even with dogs. They had three really close family friends who, like them, were poor and absolutely relied on the meat to feed the family. One of those neighbors was half Cherokee Indian family and they talked about stories passed down from ancestors on how to survive off the land. They taught him that animals are here for us to harvest, but also the importance of respect and gratitude for the animals and most importantly the respect for the land. That planted a deep seed in him as a very young child. As he grew older, his dad had to work a lot, so he was self-taught as far as deer hunting but the passion grew stronger.
As a teenager, he made a friend who, along with his dad, taught him everything he knows about fishing. Fishing is another passion that he carries today because of all the trips to the lake, Cheatham Dam, local farms, ponds or his favorite: wading Jones Creek for small mouth bass. Thanks to these early experiences, the love of fishing is forever etched in his soul.
As an adult, Jason became a Law Enforcement Officer and met Kenny Monzon, who was one of his training officers. Shane Dunning was a mutual friend and fellow LEO who grew up in Jason’s community and had also attended a deer drive or two when they were young. One huge thing they all had in common, and eventually did a lot together, was the passion for the outdoors and hunting. Jason was there when the first conversations took place of how things were at most hunting conventions and banquets in the local area. They had an idea of how to do something different that was absolutely free and designed specifically for kids. A story Shane shared, about kids that he coached for peewee football, regularly going home hungry, was something I had not experienced and I was stopped in my tracks over it.
Jason is excited about the ideals of Ground Level Outdoors and he wants to hopefully plant a seed of passion for the outdoors as it happened to him as a kid, or share stories of respect for the land and the animals as he was taught. He also wants to help create an environment where possible life-long friendships can be made because you share something in common such as hunting and fishing. Or maybe encourage others to adopt Shane's passion to feed a needy family through a future event. The list could go on and on, but he feels that Ground Level Outdoors is a simple idea that could reward people ten-fold.
Dennis Donaldson
Bio to come
David Hamilton
Bio to come
Jason Kelso
Jason Kelso brings 34 years of experience to the outdoors in many different ways. He began fishing, squirrel hunting and camping with his dad. Those are memories that he will never forget and now gets to keep making memories going with his dad and his own kids.
He was introduced to Ground Level Outdoors when he attended an event hosted by GLO and he liked it. He attended a second event and brought his daughter. She won a BB gun and the smile that it put on her face made him want to get more involved. So, he spoke to one of the board members and was invited to a meeting and he’s been on the board ever since.
Ground Level Outdoors is important to him, because he is a true believer that the outdoors changes children’s lives for the better. He will continue to make sure children get the opportunity to experience the outdoors.
Randall Smith
Randall “Randy” Smith was born and raised in Cheatham County TN. He grew up farming and has been hunting and fishing since he was 4. He grew up in the outdoors always exploring and doing what he could outside. After he graduated high school he went to college and was a college athlete. He joined the Army after his freshman year of college and served 8 years total. He’s been in law enforcement for 7 years now. He has servied as a K9 handler, SWAT, FTO, and Corporal. After leaving active duty, he transitioned to the reserves. He’s worked in the oil fields in North Dakota, worked as a foreman for two large construction companies in St. Louis and owned a business in Cheatham County. He’s always had a huge passion for his two favorites, deer and rabbit hunting. Just last year, his son harvested his first deer and first buck. He has always had a huge passion for the outdoors and helping others. He hopes to pass on his passion to anyone who’s willing to learn and wants to be outdoors.
About Us
The members of Ground Level Outdoors know that children aren’t just potential hunters and outdoor enthusiasts they are future politicians, business men and women, consumers and voters. Children are the future of the sports of hunting and fishing, the future of wildlife management and conservation efforts, the future of our Second Amendment rights and the future of this great country that we love. It’s important to show them there is more to life than a video game, computer screen or cell phone.
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