The Gift That Gives Back: NWTF Volunteers Making a Difference

If you’re looking for a way to give back, consider connecting with your local NWTF chapter or regional director to see how you can get involved. The NWTF wouldn’t accomplish a fraction of its work without the time and service of its volunteers. 

While the NWTF cannot recognize every volunteer who gives so much to the mission, this holiday season the organization is proud to highlight a few individuals whose stories reflect the generosity and dedication shared by volunteers across the country. 

Helen Bailey, Clemson, South Carolina  

For Bailey, hunting is a deeply rooted family tradition. She is a fourth-generation hunter and has been an NWTF member since 2015. 

“I've been hunting since I can remember,” Bailey said. “I have memories of going into the woods with my dad and bringing my pink BB gun along as we were going turkey hunting, just so I could sit and see what it's all about. My dad worked for the Maryland DNR for 30 years, and he brought me and my brother hunting with him and my grandfather.” 

During her senior year of high school, she was awarded the NWTF National Dr. James Earl Kennemer Scholarship, which assisted her attendance at Clemson University to study environmental and natural resources with a concentration in economic policy and natural resource management.  

Now a senior, Bailey is the current president of the NWTF Clemson University Chapter, one of the oldest NWTF collegiate programs. She was invited by the NWTF South Carolina State Board to attend their leadership conference, which helped her learn how to host an outstanding banquet. She started the very first wild turkey calling competition for college students on campus, with the second annual competition taking place this January.  

“It takes place two weeks before our banquet to try and rally support for that, and then also just get people out hearing turkey calls,” she said. 

Bailey has completed policy internships and hopes to work in conservation after she graduates. She also stays active in current policy by engaging with hunting bills in Maryland and South Carolina. She was recently accepted to the University of Cambridge for an environmental policy master's program.  

“Helen has played a pivotal role in supporting and guiding new collegiate chapters, always willing to share her experience and offer assistance whenever needed,” said Chance Wiggins, NWTF Habitat for the Hatch collegiate ambassador. “Whether she’s proudly wearing an NWTF pin on game days or out harvesting turkeys in the spring, Helen shows the spirit of the organization. She is the definition of an outstanding volunteer.” 

This past January, Bailey went on her first all-women's hunt with her lifelong mentor Kimberly Capel. Normally, she is the only girl in a blind, so it was inspiring and exciting for her to hunt with other women and even be a part of some ladies’ first harvests. It reminded her of going to NWTF youth events as a young girl and being one of five girls in a group of over 40 kids. Capel was at those events too, and she would always find Baileyy just to tell her she was so excited that she was there. 

“That really helped me when I was growing up because it reminded me that I deserved to be there too,” Bailey said. “Now being able to take some of my friends hunting or just take people shooting at the range, it's exciting.” 

As she continues to grow into her career, Bailey hopes to see more outdoor education programs in schools. Bailey strongly believes that learning more about the environment and the role that hunting has in conservation is crucial to how people view conservation and hunters. She hopes to see younger generations get more involved and continue to create opportunities to get new hunters out in the field, so the tradition can be passed for future generations.  

“I had a lot of great role models when it comes to the hunting community,” she said. “I give a lot of credit to them, and that's kind of what I aspire to be for other people, hoping that they also see that they can make a difference.”  

Ken Buchholtz, Escanaba, Michigan  

As the current president of the NWTF Bays de Noc Gobblers Chapter in Michigan, Buchholtz has continued to go above and beyond with his chapter’s JAKES and Wheelin’ Sportsmen programs, sharing the life-changing power of the outdoors with hunters of all ages and abilities. Buchholtz, now 72, has been an NWTF member since 1993. 

Buchholtz’s passion for the outdoors began when he was a boy. He started off with a BB gun at the age of 12, and when he turned 14, his dad got him a .410, single-shot shotgun. Six decades later, he is a leader in making hunting more accessible in northern Michigan.  

“I can say without hesitation that Ken is truly one of the finest volunteers in the Upper Peninsula,” said Logan Planer, NWTF regional director for Wisconsin. “Ken doesn’t just fulfill his role; he pours his heart into it. His dedication, energy and genuine love for our mission goes far beyond what anyone could reasonably expect, and it shows in everything he does. The Bays de Noc Wheelin' Sportsmen events that Ken and his chapter have been putting on for more than 20 years stand as a true testament to his character. These events have become a cherished tradition, opening the door to hunting for individuals who might otherwise struggle to access those opportunities. The sense of joy, empowerment and belonging that Ken helps foster at these events is something special.” 

His passion for building a robust Wheelin’ Sportsmen program began when he was hospitalized. When undergoing dialysis for kidney failure, he made a promise to God that if he made it through, he would do whatever he could to help bring the outdoors to others who had a limiting disability. Almost immediately, he was put to the test when he met Bob Miller who was quadriplegic. Miller, now 42, sustained a spinal injury in a four-wheeling accident when he was 18. The two gentleman got to talking about the NWTF’s Wheelin’ Sportsmen program, which led Miller to attend a chapter event where he won a gun and became determined to get out hunting again. Buchholtz and Miller went out on a successful deer hunt in 2009 with a gun rest and a custom-made trigger. After that hunt, Buchholtz dedicated his life to making the outdoors more accessible for hunters that need assistance getting outdoors.  

Along with the Wheelin’ Sportsmen hunts Buchholtz hosts, he spent eight years on the Citizens Advisory Council for the DNR, and he was on the NWTF Michigan State Board for 20 years. 

Buchholtz initiated 4-H shooting sports, youth hunter education programs, scholarships and Michigan Archery in the Schools programs in his area. He and his chapter have also built a strong JAKES program, including a youth shooting program that they started 18 years ago. 

Each summer, youth are invited to the National Hunting and Fishing Days for Youth in the Outdoors in collaboration with other sportsmen's groups in his area. For seven Saturdays in the summer, youth attendees shoot 3D archery, .22 rifle shooting and shotgun sporting clays. Volunteers also host a cookout for the youth. 

To honor all that he has done, Buchholtz has been awarded an NWTF Roger R. Latham Award, a Field and Stream Hero of Conservation award, the Department of Natural Resources Partner in Conservation Award for more than 40 years of service, the Daily Press volunteer of the month award, the Delta County Chamber of Commerce Volunteer of the Year Award and the NWTF Michigan State and Local chapter Doug Johnson Volunteer of the Year in 2008.  

Stacie Street 

Street is the NWTF Lower Delaware Chapter president, a role she’s held proudly for over a decade.  

“I have known Stacie for several years,” said Ray Smith, NWTF regional director for Delaware and Maryland. “She leads a great banquet as well as sits on the NWTF Delaware State Board. When she is not spending time with her husband, raising her young children or working a job, she finds time to spend on the NWTF. She is close to the NWTF family in Delaware, and I want to thank her for all she does and do not want her efforts go unnoticed.” 

Back in 2014, Street attended a local outdoor show, and the NWTF booth, which was being run by Charles Spray, current NWTF Delaware State Chapter president, was offering a giveaway if you purchased a membership. The NWTF was also the only organization at the event offering a women's program.  

“I had known Charles through my dad, and so I signed up as a WITO member,” Street said. “Two weeks later, the Lower Delaware Chapter had their local banquet. I went and helped Charles with that. The next week, I became the secretary.”  

It wasn’t long after that Street stepped into the role of chapter president.  

Street has always loved the outdoors. She grew up on a 100-acre farm, which her family still owns and has enrolled under permanent conservation. When she was younger, she remembers seeing hunters out in the field and watching them come up, eagerly waiting to see if they had harvested anything. She went dove hunting as a child, but her interest in deer hunting didn't start until she was in her 20s.   

“I had a friend who took me deer hunting initially, and I killed my first deer with him,” said Street. “It was a piebald doe, which wasn't too bad luck for me because I harvested more deer during that season and ended it with a nice nine-pointer. From there he got me into duck hunting, and that is by far my favorite. I started turkey hunting three or four years ago and haven't got one yet but have been close.” 

Street and her chapter attend different events in their area with their JAKES BB gun trailer, including the state fair. Currently, the Lower Delaware Chapter is gearing up for their annual banquet at the end of February.  

“My hope for the future is to get more kids outside,” she said. “I had a patient who was heavily involved in our local Boys and Girls Club tell me that a lot of the kids there have never seen a sunrise or sunset. Hearing that made me sad because seeing a sunrise or sunset is sometimes the highlight of my day or hunting trip. I hope that with the NWTF mission and JAKES programs, it brings more kids to enjoy the outdoors.”