Organization held a ‘meet & greet’ in Highland Falls
You may have wondered what was going on at Roe Park in Highland Falls last Saturday. There were folks milling around under the gazebo, some tents set up, food, and displays with merchandise for sale.
It was the first-ever New York ‘Meet and Greet’ event for Area of Operations Inc., a veteran owned non-profit organization set up by military members who are also avid hunters.
“As every soldier is trained to engage in their Area of Operation, hunters are as well. Currently based in New York, development of Area of Operations Outdoors was founded by Kenneth and Shannon Scarlett to engage hunting communities from the novice to avid hunter as a platform to learn various aspects of hunting from one another.”
That information is from the organizations website (www.aooutdoorsllc.com). The Scarletts are currently stationed at West Point and were excited to engage the local community in their mission.
Also from their website: “Having much respect for the military and our veterans, we intend to donate a portion of the proceeds generated from each sale to a veterans organization as our business grows. As we begin our journey, we plan to create and sell a small line of clothing and apparel with hope that we can divide the proceeds between continued manufacturing costs, donation to veteran services, and save for the future goals of the company.”
That’s the short-term plan. The long-term plan, they said, is to develop a facility to provide “hunters an Area of Operation which encompasses all that is necessary to learn, train, hunt, store, and process their own game. Given the opportunity, we hope to house and employ homeless veterans so that we can give back to those that have given our nation an opportunity to flourish and grow.”
They’re equally interested in supporting law enforcement and emergency services workers who support this country.
That’s why the couple was so excited to see local police and Town of Highlands Ambulance Corps members show up at the park on Saturday.
“I really want to give a quick shout-out to all who came out to our Meet and Greet on Saturday,” Scarlett said this week. “We didn’t get a whole lot of people, but the people we had the opportunity of meeting were really, really great. We had a good time.”
A highlight he noted started with a ‘lowlight’.
“As we were there, a Heron took a nose dive and stayed down,” he recounts. “We were on the phone right away to the DEC and local police to get it some help. When that was all said and done, the police officer who responded — HFPD Officer Jimmy Ripa — stayed and shot a few rounds of basketball with local children involved in the event.”
That made a very good impression. As did the fact that the park had “good fishing”!
The Scarletts had support from friends and family at the event, as well as some of their sponsors.
Scarlett would like to encourage any local hunters, or those who are interested in working with his group to provide opportunities for veterans and others who serve the country, to reach out to him. On the home page of the website is his direct contact information.
“As a veteran myself, I would like to give back to those that have served before me and offer a new purpose to move forward in the country they served to protect,” Scarlett said this week as he promises there are more big things to come from his small company.
As for the next Meet and Greet? He says it will be in Alabama. So, if you’re up for a trip …
