Video: Volunteers Team Up To Bring Hope To Special Needs Children

EUPORA, MISS. (WCBI) – After several hours of waiting, patience paid off for Jorden Daniel.

“I was just ready,” Daniel said.

He’d been trained on how to gently squeeze the trigger, where to place the shot, and finally, the moment of truth.

The 12 year Tupelo youngster harvested the first deer he saw on his first hunting trip.

“I was excited,” he said.

For any pre teen boy it would be exciting, but for Jorden, it is a major accomplishment. At 4 months old, Jorden was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, an aggressive cancer. Nearly a year of chemotherapy, radiation and surgery left him cancer free, but unable to walk. He has been in a wheelchair all of his life.

Jorden loves to go fishing, and he has always wanted to go hunting, but never had the opportunity, until Hope Outdoors and Southern Life Outdoors teamed up for this outing in Eupora.

Eric Reynolds is the founder of Southern Life Outdoors and acted as Jorden’s guide, sitting in a 13 foot long blind, capturing the hunt on video.

Reynolds, who is also head baseball coach at Saltillo High School, says the goal is simple, to give hope to kids with physical disabilities.

“What I’am hoping, is through their experience , with Hope Outdoors and this hunt, is that introduction to the outdoors and , what God has created for us to go enjoy,” Reynolds said.

Twenty or so kids took part in the hunt, and Reynolds says he was honored to see it all unfold.

“I had me and my boys with me, we were so excited and so blessed to be able to share that with him and be a part of his experience,” Reynolds said.

And Jorden is glad Coach Reynolds was there.

“Well I probably would have messed myself up, I wouldn’t know what to do,” Jorden said.

Jorden has a souvenir from his hunt, and he is ready for the next outing, when turkey season begins.

Of course, Hope Outdoors needs a lot of volunteers for the hunts, for more information, go to ;

www.hopeoutdoors.org

www.facebook.com/southernlifeoutdoors/