Special Operations Adventure Foundation

09/01/2026

The Special Operations Adventure Foundation would like to introduce our Outreach & Partnership Manager, Rene Steenvoorden

René joined the Special Operations Adventure Foundation driven by a strong motivation to support veterans, bringing together his extensive experience in partnership management with a lifelong passion for the outdoors. He believes deeply in the healing power of nature, and in how stepping outside your comfort zone alongside others builds lasting camaraderie.

As SOAF's Partnerships Manager, René draws on his relationship-building experience and outdoor expertise to help grow SOAF's network and expand its impact. He supports partnership development, community outreach, and the connections that help SOAF reach and serve more veterans.

Born and raised in the Netherlands, René moved to the US in 2015 and soon after picked up adventure motorcycling as one of his primary outdoor pursuits. He's also an avid hiker and trail runner, climbing Colorado peaks with his dogs. Outside of SOAF, he owns and operates Bivouac Coffee, a sustainability-focused coffee roastery.

09/01/2026

https://www.soafoundation.org/blog-1-copy-1-1

Our monthly newsletter, "The Adventure Report" is out. If you didn't receive your email or missed it this month, don't worry, you can go to the Adventure Blog on our website and read it there, along with all our past newsletters. Click the link below to see what we've been up to and everything we have planned for the coming months.

We are also looking for volunteers for some of our upcoming projects so if you are interested in helping out with a great cause, get in touch with us through the website, email, facebook or instagram.

Jason Borges 9/1/26 Jason Borges 9/1/26 Adventure Blog September 2026 THE MISSION IS GROWINGSummer has been a busy one for the Special Operations Adventure Foundation.What started with a simple idea — reconnecting Special Operations veterans with the sense of purpose, camaraderie and adventure tha...

08/27/2026

The Special Operations Adventure Foundation is looking for volunteers to help us continue our growth as a premiere non profit in the veteran community. Our first year saw incredible growth and we want to keep that momentum going.

We are looking for talented individuals in the marketing and grant writing area to help us reach our goals. If you are interested in the below job descriptions or know someone who would be a good fit, please reach out and contact us. These positions are currently VOLUNTEER positions but we hope to convert them to PAID positions when possible. The Special Operations Adventure Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) non profit organization.

VOLUNTEER GRANT RESEARCH AND WRITER:

Organization: Special Operations Adventure Foundation (SOAF)�Position Type: Volunteer, Unpaid�Location: Remote�Time Commitment: Flexible; project and deadline dependent

Position Purpose

The Volunteer Grant Researcher & Writer helps SOAF identify and pursue funding opportunities that support our programs, organizational growth, and long-term impact.
This person will research well-aligned grant opportunities and help develop compelling applications that clearly communicate SOAF's mission, programs, needs, and impact.

Key Responsibilities

Research foundations, corporations, community organizations, and other potential grant opportunities.
Identify and prioritize grants that align with SOAF's mission and programs.
Track eligibility requirements, deadlines, funding priorities, and application requirements.
Draft letters of inquiry, grant applications, proposals, and supporting narratives.
Collaborate with SOAF leadership to gather information needed for applications.
Maintain an organized grant pipeline and calendar.
Assist with grant reporting and funder updates as needed.
Report on progress in weekly team meetings.

VOLUNTEER MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS SPECIALIST:

Organization: Special Operations Adventure Foundation (SOAF)
Position Type: Volunteer, Unpaid
Location: Remote
Time Commitment: Flexible

Position Purpose

The Volunteer Marketing & Communications Specialist helps SOAF increase awareness, clearly communicate our mission, and inspire individuals and businesses to support the organization.
This role will help create a consistent and compelling presence across our website, social media, promotional materials, and donor and sponsor communications.

Key Responsibilities

Help update, organize, and improve SOAF website content.
Plan and create engaging social media content and maintain a content calendar.
Help refine and maintain consistent organizational messaging.
Tell meaningful stories about our mission, retreats, participants, volunteers, and impact.
Create or coordinate marketing and promotional materials.
Support donor, sponsor, fundraising, and community awareness campaigns.
Develop messaging and calls to action that encourage donations, sponsorships, partnerships, and in-kind support.
Report progress in weekly team meetings.

08/26/2026

# # # Meet Christine — SOAF Volunteer Operations Manager 🇺🇸

One of the things that makes the Special Operations Adventure Foundation special is the people who choose to give their time, energy, and talents to our mission. Today, we want to introduce you to **Christine**, our Volunteer Operations Manager.

Christine joined SOAF after witnessing firsthand the challenges many veterans and their families face while transitioning from military to civilian life. She wanted to be part of an organization creating meaningful connection, support, and purpose during that transition.

As SOAF's Volunteer Operations Manager, Christine brings together strategy, operations, fundraising, and creativity to help turn ideas into action. She supports organizational development, donor initiatives, retreat planning, and the systems we need to continue growing and expanding our impact.

What excites Christine most is helping create memorable outdoor experiences that lead to something lasting: **renewed purpose, meaningful relationships, and a growing brotherhood and sisterhood where Special Operations veterans know they have a community that understands them.**

Outside of SOAF, Christine is a curious and creative adventurer who loves exploring by two wheels, four wheels, or on foot. She's happiest discovering new places, listening to great music, creating beautiful things, and sharing deep conversations around a campfire or on the trail—especially in good company.

We're incredibly grateful to have Christine as part of the SOAF family. Her creativity, dedication, and willingness to jump in and make things happen are a huge part of helping us move our mission forward.

**Thank you, Christine, for everything you bring to SOAF and to the veterans we serve.**

**RECONNECTING WARRIORS. RESTORING PURPOSE.**

08/26/2026

# # # Meet Christine — SOAF Volunteer Operations Manager 🇺🇸

One of the things that makes the Special Operations Adventure Foundation special is the people who choose to give their time, energy, and talents to our mission. Today, we want to introduce you to **Christine**, our Volunteer Operations Manager.

Christine joined SOAF after witnessing firsthand the challenges many veterans and their families face while transitioning from military to civilian life. She wanted to be part of an organization creating meaningful connection, support, and purpose during that transition.

As SOAF's Volunteer Operations Manager, Christine brings together strategy, operations, fundraising, and creativity to help turn ideas into action. She supports organizational development, donor initiatives, retreat planning, and the systems we need to continue growing and expanding our impact.

What excites Christine most is helping create memorable outdoor experiences that lead to something lasting: **renewed purpose, meaningful relationships, and a growing brotherhood and sisterhood where Special Operations veterans know they have a community that understands them.**

Outside of SOAF, Christine is a curious and creative adventurer who loves exploring by two wheels, four wheels, or on foot. She's happiest discovering new places, listening to great music, creating beautiful things, and sharing deep conversations around a campfire or on the trail—especially in good company.

We're incredibly grateful to have Christine as part of the SOAF family. Her creativity, dedication, and willingness to jump in and make things happen are a huge part of helping us move our mission forward.

**Thank you, Christine, for everything you bring to SOAF and to the veterans we serve.**

**RECONNECTING WARRIORS. RESTORING PURPOSE.**

08/17/2026

WE’RE HEADED TO THE FOUR CORNERS MOTORCYCLE RALLY!

The Special Operations Adventure Foundation is proud to announce that we’ll be at this year’s Four Corners Motorcycle Rally in Durango, Colorado!

The Four Corners Motorcycle Rally has been a Labor Day tradition in Durango for more than three decades, bringing thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts together from across the country. With the incredible San Juan Mountains and some of the best riding in Colorado right outside of town, it’s one of the premier motorcycle events in the region.

And we’re excited to be part of it.

For us, this event is about more than motorcycles.

It’s an opportunity to introduce people to the Special Operations Adventure Foundation and share what we’re building for the men and women of the U.S. Special Operations community.

Our mission is to use adventure, the outdoors, camaraderie, and shared experiences to create opportunities for connection and healing for those who have served in Special Operations.

If you’re coming to Durango for the rally, come find us!

Stop by, say hello, learn more about our organization, hear about our retreats and upcoming events, and find out how you can help support our mission.

Whether you ride a Harley, KTM, BMW, Indian, Honda, or anything else with two wheels, we’d love to meet you.

Come for the motorcycles.
Come for the riding.
Come for the rally.

And come meet the Special Operations Adventure Foundation.

We’ll see you in Durango!

September 3–6, 2026
Durango, Colorado
Four Corners Motorcycle Rally

08/10/2026

WE’RE BUILDING SOMETHING BIG IN THE ROCKIES.

Yesterday, the first scouting mission for the Special Operations Adventure Foundation’s new 24 Hours of the Rockies officially got underway.

Building on the success of our friends at Back Roads of Appalachia and their 24 Hours of Appalachia series, we’re working on a 24-hour, 500-mile endurance rally through the Rocky Mountain region.

The goal is simple: create an incredible challenge for adventure riders while bringing meaningful economic activity to some of the small towns and communities throughout the mountains.

Yesterday was a pretty incredible start.

We spent hours exploring dirt roads high in the Colorado mountains, connecting routes and discovering some absolutely incredible scenery. We traveled through historic communities like Russellville, Nevadaville, and Nederland, visited the Moffat Tunnel, and found ourselves surrounded by the kind of mountain views that remind you why we ride in the first place.

Of course, no scouting trip in Colorado would be complete without finding a good local brewery, so we stopped for a well-earned beer at Howlin Wind Brewery. 🍺

And only in Colorado could you find an electric vehicle charging station attached to a building that’s nearly 100 years old!

But this project is about much more than motorcycles.

When we bring riders into these communities, we want them to spend money locally — buying fuel, eating at local restaurants, staying in local hotels, visiting local businesses, and experiencing the places that make Colorado special.

The route is still being written.

There are hundreds of miles left to scout, countless roads to explore, and plenty of decisions to make before we’re ready to launch.

But the vision is coming together.

24 HOURS.
500 MILES.
THE ROCKIES.

We’re just getting started.

Stay tuned as we continue building the 24 Hours of the Rockies.

🇺🇸🏔️🏍️

08/05/2026

Our August Mission Update just went out.

If you'd like to follow our adventures, meet the veterans we're serving, and see the impact you're making, join our monthly newsletter.

https://www.soafoundation.org/subscribe

08/05/2026

Some partnerships begin with a handshake. The best ones are forged through shared adventures, challenging trails, and a common purpose.

This week, our good friend Jed from Backroads of Appalachia stopped in Colorado while traveling from his home in West Virginia to Idaho with his family. We were fortunate to spend a day riding together in the Colorado Rockies, scouting potential routes for what we hope will become a future 24 Hours of the Rockies event, inspired by the incredible one-day endurance ride held each year in Appalachia.

Our plan was to enjoy a fun, big-bike-friendly adventure ride.

As usual, the mountains had a different plan.

Before long, we found ourselves navigating washed-out trails, loose rock, steep climbs, and technical terrain that tested both our riding skills and our machines. It wasn’t exactly what we had planned—but those are often the rides that become the most memorable.

As great as the riding was, the real highlight of the day happened after the ride.

Jed presented the Special Operations Adventure Foundation with a check for nearly $7,000, raised through the Appalachian 1000 Dueling Banjos Rally held this past July. We were honored to serve as the benefactor of this year’s event, and this incredible donation will go directly toward providing therapeutic outdoor adventures for members of the Special Operations community.

To Jed and everyone at Backroads of Appalachia—thank you. Your generosity, friendship, and belief in our mission mean more than words can express. Organizations like ours only succeed because of people like you who are willing to invest in those who have sacrificed so much for our country.

We’re incredibly excited about where this partnership is headed. If this week was any indication, the next few years are going to be filled with amazing adventures, meaningful impact, and opportunities to serve even more Special Operations veterans.

Here’s to the trails we’ve already shared—and to all the miles still ahead.

08/01/2026

We are incredibly honored and excited to announce that the Special Operations Adventure Foundation has been selected as the Second Place recipient of this year’s Outdoor Market Alliance (OMA) Annual Grant, receiving a $10,000 grant in support of our mission.

At the Special Operations Adventure Foundation, we believe the outdoors has a unique ability to heal. Through adventure-based retreats and shared experiences, we help Special Operations veterans reconnect with one another, rebuild camaraderie, and continue their journey of healing after service. This generous grant from OMA will directly support our rehabilitation and therapeutic programs, allowing us to provide even more meaningful outdoor experiences for the remarkable men and women who have sacrificed so much for our nation.

We want to extend our deepest gratitude to the Outdoor Market Alliance (OMA) for believing in our mission and investing in the work we do. Your generosity will make a real and lasting impact on the lives of the Special Operations veterans we serve.

We would also like to congratulate Durango Trails, this year’s First Place recipient. Their dedication to developing and maintaining world-class trail networks in the Durango area is creating incredible opportunities for outdoor recreation and strengthening their community. Congratulations on a well-deserved honor!

Awards like this are only possible because of the support of our volunteers, partners, sponsors, donors, and everyone who believes in our mission. Thank you for standing beside us as we continue using the healing power of adventure to serve those who have served us all.

We are just getting started, and we can’t wait to share what this grant will help us accomplish.