A few months back I had the incredible opportunity to be on the series, Wildly Wyoming – a week long competition where three teams competed to win $10,000 to donate, on behalf of the Bronco Wild Fund to a non-profit project of their choice.
My Name is Kayla Lockhart, I am an ambassador for Ford Bronco, Eddie Bauer, Farbank, Yakima Racks and Leatherman Tools. Born and raised in Minnesota and moved out west 8 years ago, where my fly-fishing journey took off.
From the moment I began fly-fishing, it has positively impacted my life. I have struggled with anxiety, depression and trauma and I leaned into healing on the water through fly-fishing. Fly-fishing was the catalyst for the navigation to give me a sense of peace and understanding to my own mental health journey.
Through a lot of long days and tough challenges, I won the Wildy Wyoming competition on behalf of Ford Bronco. I chose to donate the $10,000 to Project Healing Waters, a non-profit organization that is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation through the healing elements of fly-fishing of injured and disabled military service personnel and Veterans.
Reflecting on the therapeutic benefits of fly-fishing, my Grandpa Russell Lockhart, a proud veteran plagued by frequent night terrors from the Korean War, found solace in the outdoors. Engaging in activities like hunting and fishing provided him with a positive outlet for healing.
This is why I choose Project Healing Waters as the recipient of the $10,000. Through this donation they will be able to further their mission in helping our disabled and injured Veterans.
To learn more about Project Healing Waters and how you can help in supporting their mission visit, Project Healing Waters.Â
Kayla, I am a disabled veteran and also an acupuncturist. I treat many vets during the course of my work and one of them introduced me to PHWFF here in Oregon. Although I’ve been retired for 20 years I just learned about it in Sep 2023! Thank you for your story, your donation, and spreading the word about Project Healing Waters.