The most challenging issue Veterans face is reintegrating back into civilian life.  This is increasingly hard with combat Veterans that have witnessed the brutal environments of war.  We face issues like the sense of not having a purpose, the lack of being on a team and having that camaraderie.  Our mission is to bring Veterans out of their element and introduce them to the off-road family for fun and relaxation, which helps make them feel like a part of something again.  This is what we call Adrenaline Therapy, and in doing so, our goal is to help eliminate the 22 A DAY epidemic of Veteran suicide.

Outlaw Desert Racing is a 501(c)3 non-profit located in the Southwest.  Adrenaline Therapy is a program being implemented where we place the military or first responder (active or veteran) into an off-road desert race vehicle as a navigator to give them an adrenaline rush and become a team member with a sense of purpose again.  We take them out of their element and show them that there is more to life and there are people who care.  During our day in the desert, we put on a BBQ, provide a no pressure environment for the individuals to relax and open-up and we are there to listen if they are feeling compelled to talk about their issues.

Chris Brahs is the President of Outlaw Desert Racing and a Disabled USAF Veteran (Gulf War Era).  His oldest son is also a Disabled Marine Veteran, who was involved in an IED explosion in the Middle East and watched his best friend and mentor die in his arms.  Chris’s son suffers from TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury) and PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from the IED explosion.  Watching his son go thru so many ups and downs during his treatment, Chris wanted to do more for those who have given up so much for our country.

Our team consists of primarily Disabled Military Veterans who have been there and know what others are going thru.  We have constructed a team that has a common goal.  Our goal is to do our part to eliminate veteran suicide and leave no man behind.

The focus of our fundraising is for our new concept to further our reach beyond the desert.  The money raised will be able to purchase 2 48’ race trailers to equip them with racing simulators.  These rigs will be able to visit VA hospitals, Law Enforcement Organizations, Fire Departments, EMT’s, Schools and events to be able to provide a simulated off-road racing experience.  We will also provide a level of training for those who are interested in becoming more involved in off-roading.  This will be essential for those who may not be able to get into a race car due to a medical/physical condition yet still be able to experience the off-road culture.

Companies on board for the build:

1. Sim Motorsports and Abruzzi Racing Apparel USA-  assisting us with the simulator rigs including fabricating 2 rigs to be wheelchair accessible with hand controls for the driver.
2. LV8 Design Group from Phoenix is completing the renderings and wrap designs for the trucks, trailers and race vehicles.
3. EP Techworks from El Paso will be installing and configuring the LAN system for each trailer
4. stuffsack.com provides travel bags for our gear
5. Schampa provides our staff uniforms and makes our shirts, hats, hoodies etc for swag sales
6. KWI Clutching- Best SXS clutching company in the industry
7. Whalen Speed R&D- Custom tuning for all 3 Canam Cars
8. CT Race Worx- Machining knuckles for all 3 cars
9. Western States Petroleum & VP Racing Fuels- Supplies fuel for the Adrenaline Therapy Program
10. Blais Racing Services- Putting on a private drivers training course for our team
11. Prat Racing- assisting in our therapy program.  A team of military and first responders.
12. Mild Case Racing- assisting in our therapy program.  Disabled US Army Combat Veteran
13. Dynojet Research- Provided PV3 tuners for all 3 cars to load Whalen Speed R&D tunes
14. Keller Performance- Provided ball joints for all 3 cars
15. Cook Off-Road Racing- Helping us with tires for our program
16. MTX Audio USA- Provides us with PA equipment for our events
17. Caveman Coffee Co.- Keep us on our toes with the best cold brew around
18. Rescue Tactics and Training- Provides medical support and training for our crew
19. K-UTV Rock Knocker- Keeps our suspension and wheels protected on the side x sides
20. McNeil Racing Az-  Family race team that helps us with the program.  
21. Thrillbilly Deluxe LV- Country Music band out of Las Vegas NV, we love these guys so much!

I am asking you today to donate and help us obtain this equipment needed to reach more of our Hero’s.  

The full layout of vehicles and equipment needed as follows:

1. 2 each 44-48 foot enclosed goose-neck race trailers w/air conditioner/heaters
2. 2 each Ram 3500 pickups to pull the trailers
3. 12 each racing simulator chassis
4. 14 each Xbox gaming consoles (2 for spares in case of equipment failure)
5. 12 sets of steering wheels, pedals, shifters and hand controls for the 2 wheelchair accessible units
6. 2 each generators capable of powering all systems
7. 12 each 42” monitors
8. Wraps for trucks, trailers and race vehicles (we will be carrying 1 race vehicle in each trailer so the Veterans can see them up close)

Outlaw Desert Racing attends the following yearly events:

1. UTV Rally
2. Camping and Off-road Expo
3. The Big Sting, It’s a Country Thing
4. International Off-road and UTV Expo
5. 2-3 local desert races organized by Outlaw Desert Racing
6. Various car shows throughout the southwest

Events that Outlaw Desert Racing will attend in the future with the Adrenaline Therapy Trailers

1. Sand Sports Super Show
2. Camp RZR in Glamis
3. Various UTV Takeovers

We can’t thank the people and companies that are supporting us to achieve our goals to help those who have risked life and limb to protect our country.  I know with your help we can raise this money to achieve this goal to turn people’s lives around for the better.

Our Adrenaline Therapy Standard Operating Procedure-  This is for your review of our program and what we do when we take a Veteran/1st Responder out.

Standards & Operational Procedures : Veteran/First Responder Suicide Prevention Plan

Purpose:

To establish guidelines for preventing veteran and first responder suicides through Adrenaline Therapy. All participants providing support to these veterans and first responders are responsible for following this SOP.

Definitions:

 SOP: Standards & Operational Procedure

Procedure:

1. Introduce yourself and service. Be specific and brief.
2. Provide specific goals for the day.
3. Provide specific safety instructions and checklists for the veterans and first responders to follow.
4. Track at 30-minute intervals while riding. Stop every 30 minutes to have veteran or first responder check their safety checklist and vehicle maintenance.
1. Check their vehicle maintenance check considering they may not know the vehicles as well as the rider.
5. Provide a clear task for the veteran or first responder
1. Since there is not a marked trail, provide maps, specific directions for the veteran or first responder to follow. Provide clear tasks for the veterans and first responders to follow at each 30 minute stop.
6. Peer-to-Peer Conversations
1. Civilian Understanding: “They Ain’t Like Us, Are They?”
2. Civilian Identity: “Who is the Civilian Version of Me?”
3. Medical Support: “Let’s Go Shopping for Medical Providers.”
4. “Reconnecting by Disconnecting”
7. Revisit Goals and provide group conversation support of overall experience.
1. What goals did the veterans and first responders accomplish?
2. What goals did the veterans and first responders need improvement on?
3. Allow 15 minutes to each veteran and first responder to share their experience.
8. End of the race or ride, determine a winner.
1. Veterans and first responders thrive on competition and believe there are winners and losers.
9. Follow Up
1. Always follow up with a Facebook Post or email with the veterans and first responders within a few days of the riding event.

Methodology and Procedures Explained:

1. Introduce Yourself: Make sure you only give the briefest description of your service history initially. This will help to keep the participants from feeling “out of place” if they have only served a few years, compared to others who have served for more extended periods.
2. Provide Goals: As a group, clear goals will be given for all riders, veterans and first responders to be able to accomplish. These goals are important to help establish a clear expectation for veterans and first responders to achieve. Achievement and success help to build up veterans and first responders.
3. The overall day's activity needs to have a goal or achievement to enable the veterans to gain a sense of pride and confidence. Placing veterans in a fun "Us vs Them" team like challenge where the outcome that is solely based on their composure and trust, is a fantastic way to promote conversation and a desire to work with people... I suggest setting up a short loop circuit that takes about 10 minutes to complete. Have one veteran act as navigator and a staff member as the driver. The driver goes fast when the navigator calls the next corner correct, but slows if incorrect, hence the overall time is set by the accuracy and composure of the veteran not the driver. This encourages veterans to calm themselves and think clearly, whilst doing a fun activity that increases adrenaline. It’s that period of heightened focus that provides a level of mental clarity and relaxation, this is highly beneficial to veterans under stress. " Adrenaline Therapy"
4. Safety - Give your safety instructions. Then ask them to check each other, this helps the trust and conversation elements to develop. (DON’T trust their checking ability) Take the “one step back” approach and watch them. This allows you to observe those who are not confident or are withdrawn. Gentle, gentle approach with these people.
5. Track - You need to break the day into 30-minute sections. The first section is a slow intro to the vehicles and conduct of the day. Encourage them to watch the suspension and see how the cars react to the changes of terrain. Have the veterans and first responders practice safety, vehicle maintenance and navigation.
6. Program - Every military person thrives off being able to complete a task, so you need to present clear tasks or outcomes from the sections as they are about to commence. If a track is not laid out with directional markers, then you need to focus on the navigator-to- driver engagement whilst overlaying the racing skills of things like correct brake markers, taking the correct race line, and brake and accelerator sequencing when traversing through a creek etc. These can all form part of separate 30-minute periods as you drive throughout the day.
7. Conversations - Our program relies heavily on the Peer-to-Peer support method, where we will speak about out particular experience with one subject e.g. "Taking the uniform off and trying to work out who the “civilian me is." This is where we bare our failures and learnings, explaining the things that we’ve screwed up, what we would do differently, and what we have learned about ourselves. During this period, we simply ask those whom have experienced similar things to either nod their heads or raise a hand to allow the veterans involved to see who else has been through the same challenges. REMEMBER: after each Peer-to-Peer talk, you must allow a minimum of 15 minutes for the veterans to explain their experiences, either to the group or to one of the staff. This is where the trust element really kicks in! 
   1. Civilian Understanding - This is focused on the struggle in understanding the various systems in the “civil world” after being in the military for a reasonable amount of time. Things like, Civilians being late and not caring, or trying to push others aside because they think they are more important. How the medical system works or doesn't, in comparison to how they were looked after in the military. The different language and sense of humor from what your military buddies would say vs. what is acceptable on the civilian street.
   2. Who is the Civilian Me? – This, as it states, is about the challenge of understanding who the matured and well-experienced military me is once the military uniform, the structured role, and the responsibility and authority is removed. I ask simple questions like: “What job would you most like to do...why?”  “Do you like working in small groups, big groups or working alone...why?”  “Do you like long hair or short hair like in the military?”  “Are you doing this in response to your military time or in spite of the military service?” “Why aren't you proud of the uniform you wore?”  These can be confronting questions when you drill down and remove all the preconceived opinions or beliefs veterans have…again, personal experiences as examples work best. 
   3. Let's go shopping – The premise of this subject is during the whole time in the military, your medical personnel were those you had no choice in selecting. So, does the treating specialist really know you? This really comes to the forefront when speaking about Psych support. Too many times the veteran goes to their first Psych and stays with them. They are habitually grounded to a single point of opinion or method. Giving them the encouragement to seek professionals that they feel a rapport with and don't “just stay” with the first one, because that is the one “allocated” to them.  We then extend the conversation into medical drugs, again giving them confidence that if the current range of medications aren’t helping, then they can ask for a different type or seek another opinion. Just “sticking” with the directed drug regime when it's doing more harm than good is a common issue with veterans, which stems back to their military service where it’s  "take what you're told, no questions asked.”
   4. Re-connect by Disconnecting - One of the common family relationship stress points is once the veteran takes the uniform off and doesn't put it back on, he/she doesn't really know his/her place in their family, nor do they really know what sort of people their spouse or kids are. Again, you cannot ask the family to change now that Dad or Mom is not in the military anymore, because they only know what it is like with them “in” the military. The big challenge is the heavy distraction of electronic media. Unfortunately, electronic media has taken the place of the opportunity that families had in years past to re-engage with each other, to see and learn who the other people in their family are. Therefore, we encourage them to consider doing an activity without electronics that exposes all family members to an experience as a family unit at least once a month. It is the joint experience that promotes conversations within the family, highlighting that it's OK to fail in front of the family. Your family needs to know your weaknesses as much as your strengths. The military has taught us that failure is BAD…the fact is, quite the opposite is true outside of the military (as long as it's not done repeatedly).  Demonstrating failure is another learning opportunity that develops confidence and trust within the family…again, this is quite powerful when conducted in a joint family activity.
      

       8.  End of Day - Acknowledge the actual winners. Military people are not the "everyone gets a trophy" type of people. Acknowledge those who have achieved or experienced things they didn't think they could.

      9. Follow Up - ALWAYS follow up with an email or Facebook post with the veteran within the next few days…post images and videos that allow them to show others (like family and veteran mates) what they did. This is key, as it maintains the trust to engage with others and to TALK about what they were feeling, it's also an event they are proud to talk about and encourage other veterans to give it a go.