Point of Light

Dave Burgess of Omaha, Nebraska will receive the Governor's Points of Light award April 27th 2006, for his part in creating and promoting the SANDS (Sportsmen Assisting Nebraska's Disabled Sportsmen) program.

Burgess, confined to a wheelchair because of a partial spinal cord injury and degenerative disk disease, posted a message on the Nebraska Game and Parks websites Forum in November of 2004. "Disabled Hunter Needs Assistance" and over a dozen sportsmen replied offering to take Burgess deer and turkey hunting.

Those responding, including Mike Freel and Rik Cutting.

"We worked out the details,"Burgess said, " and they took me hunting numerous times."

Since the plea for assistance worked so well, Burgess realized that other sportsmen with disabilities might benefit from a program that helps link able-bodied outdoors men & women with people who have disabilities.

Burgess approached Jeff Rawlinson, the commission's outdoor education specialist. We worked out some of the details as how we wanted the program to run and then took off with it. SANDS was approved by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission in May of 2005. Now able-bodied men and women can register on the Game and Parks Website under the SANDS link to assist people with disabilities to participate in outdoor activities. And people with disabilities can register, and get what ever assistance they might need to be outdoors.

"Each person does the work," Burgess said. "You go online and download the list of names of "people offering assistance" or "people requesting assistance" and start calling the people up. A person might be interested in hunting mushrooms, and if an able-bodied person can help, they link up. They just work out the details, and then go.

"Basically, it's tearing down walls and getting rid of barriers so that people with disabilities can get outdoors. It's for all types of activities- hunting, fishing, boating, astronomy. Anything you can do outdoors, we'll provide a means to help get you there."

Burgess, who works at AmeriCorps, was nominated for the award by his boss, Mandy Volkmer.

"I've never in my life received any kind of award," Burgess said. "It means so much to me. To receive it is just mind-boggling. "It is a very huge honor for me to receive this award from the Governor".