Our Motto
People changing lives through the outdoors.
History of Ground Level Outdoors
Jake’s Day Out (formerly Jake’s Night Out) was started in 2013 by a group of hunters with the concept of introducing kids to the outdoors and creating new hunters/anglers/outdoor enthusiasts. What makes the Ground Level Outdoors event so different from other events put on by larger organizations or individuals? Jake’s Day Out is 100% FREE! Every school child 18 & under that enters the doors has the opportunity to win one of many prizes. Prizes are not guaranteed, but the opportunity to win is available to all. At Jake’s Day Out, no one leaves hungry. We feed everyone, regardless of age, free of charge as long as the food lasts. At our 2019 event alone, we served over 1,000 meals.
Each year, Jake’s Day Out always has a wildlife officer present. Gun Safety is always a topic of discussion. In the past, we have had a guest speaker that was a victim of an accidental discharge while hunting. His sharing of what happened to him silenced the crowd and served as a lesson for young hunters and a reminder for more experienced hunters. We have had competition turkey callers put on a demonstration for the crowd. We were thrilled to hear owl hoots, tree yelping, gobbling and fly downs, just as you would hear them in the woods. We work in conjunction with our local wildlife resource agency to facilitate and support conservation efforts, hunter education and boating safety for young hunters and fishermen/women.
Crowd participation is a large part of our events. We strive to make this event fun for people of all ages. Children and their parents get to see a wide variety of hunting, fishing and outdoor hobbies on display. We have an archery range, a BB gun range, our Casting Cove fishing game. Introductions to Trapping, Arrowhead Knapping, and Taxidermy are usually on display, as well as a Birds of Prey exhibit. For smaller children, we offer bouncy houses, face painting, balloon artists and more!
Our Mission - Our Vision - Our Values
Donny Arnold & Daniel Baker volunteering to help kids learn to fish at JDO 2018
Our Mission – The “What”
Ground Level Outdoors is a nonprofit 501c3 organization dedicated to changing lives through the outdoors. We hope to educate and inspire our youth in environmental conservation and wildlife management. Today’s youth are the future of outdoor sports such as hunting and fishing.
Evan Lowry, 2016 Jake’s grand prize winner, continues the hunt.
Our Vision – The “Where”
Our goal is to get youth and families back into the outdoors and away from the constant screen time. Currently less than 10 % of the population hunts. According to a report issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Survey of Hunting, Fishing, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation, in 2016, just 11.5 million people hunted. That's less than 4 percent of the national population. It is our belief that by involving our youth in outdoor sports such as hunting and fishing, the desire to preserve the hunting, fishing and conservation heritage will endure throughout future generations.
Introducing the excitement and wonder of the wild to the youth is our goal.
Our Values – The “Why”
Youth – Youth possess potential, energy & enthusiasm. The organizational choices we make are based on what we feel is best suited to the children we serve.
Nature – The outdoors is a learning experience that we feel is not to be missed. For us, nature is a place for relaxation, revitalization, inspiration and education.
Conservation – Another aspect of the education program in our organization is to encourage wildlife conservation and management among the youth of our community.
Community – We hope to make a meaningful, helpful, diverse and inclusive impact on our community through our work.