Irving Forest Products supports veterans through Operation ReBoot Outdoors sponsorship

As winter winds down in Oxford County, Maine, a day spent on the ice means good fishing, good food, the great outdoors and even better company — all in support of veterans.

Each year, the Welcome Home Oxford County Ice Fishing Derby brings the community together to raise funds for Operation ReBoot Outdoors and its mission to help veterans heal through outdoor recreation. And each year since 2020, the Irving Forest Products’ Dixfield Sawmill has been there to support it.

Operation ReBoot Outdoors was founded in 2019 by Dan Waite, a United States Army veteran who wanted to share his passion for hunting, fishing and the healing power of spending time in nature with others who’ve served.

Alongside Nicole Waite, who’s president of ReBoot, and many volunteers, ReBoot has grown to provide dozens of missions each year, helping veterans, active-duty service members, law enforcement personnel and their families reconnect with nature and themselves, building community, support systems and confidence along the way.

The Ice Fishing Derby is one of the non-profit’s cornerstone fundraising and community building events, Nicole said, and is critical to supporting ReBoot’s year-round programming. Since 2020, the Dixfield Sawmill has been supplying the food for the event — “consistent and meaningful backing that has helped the event grow and succeed,” Nicole said.

Over the weekend of Feb. 28 - March 1, anglers and their families, sponsors and volunteers turned out for the event and to support ReBoot’s mission. Preparing the food to feed all the hungry participants was none other than Frank Knauer, millwright at the Dixfield Sawmill.

Throughout the year, Frank is the beloved volunteer cook, not only for the Ice Fishing Derby, but for other ReBoot fundraising events and missions as well. His cooking has become so popular that many show up to the events asking for Frank by name.

Like Frank, for some employees at the Dixfield Sawmill, supporting ReBoot is a personal commitment. Abraham Bradeen, a lead hand at the sawmill, has been a vital part of ReBoot since the start, offering his time and knowledge to ReBoot for seven years.

For Abraham, a chance encounter with Dan, a friend from his youth, in the woods one spring turkey season led to so much more than a simple reconnection. Witnessing firsthand the transformative power of outdoor recreation in the lives of veterans set him on a path to become a Registered Maine Guide. In this role, Abraham gets a front seat to ReBoot’s lifechanging outcomes as veterans learn new skills, make new friends and rediscover their confidence.

“It has changed my life and I have seen it change others,” Abraham said. “There is nothing better than getting an email or a handwritten letter from (a veteran’s) significant other asking what we did, because they came home changed. We did nothing more than pull something out of them that was already there.”

And it’s the support from ReBoot’s community that makes it all possible.

“Support from partners like Irving Forest Products is vital to our ability to operate,” Nicole said. “Donations allow us to keep events affordable or free for participants, invest in adaptive equipment, expand programming and reach more individuals and families who can benefit from our services. Corporate and employee involvement also sends a powerful message to our participants — that their service is valued and supported by the communities they call home.”