If you love the outdoors and want to combine that with helping people, consider joining a Search and Rescue Organization. The mid-Atlantic region has 11 such groups that are affiliated with the Appalachian Search and Rescue Conference. There is probably one close to you.

The following information is from the ASRC website:

“Search and Rescue (SAR) involves locating and evacuating persons who are trapped, lost and/or injured. The Appalachian Search & Rescue Conference (ASRC) is a wilderness search and rescue organization that provides professional volunteers trained in search management and field operations for missions in the mid-Atlantic region. Services include all-weather search and rescue for missing persons and downed aircraft; complete search and rescue management, as well as safety and survival education. Our conference is comprised of individual groups of professional volunteers who dedicate extensive amounts of time for rigorous training, search missions, group functions, preventative instruction, and public awareness. We have over 25 years of experience and our organization routinely trains other state, federal, and local government representatives in the art of search and rescue. With eleven teams spanning six states and over 400 active members, we are one of the largest SAR resources in the country.”