Challenge The Outdoors, Inc.

Challenge the Outdoors, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization serving Northeast Wisconsin. It was founded in 1998 by a group of outdoor sportspersons, most of whom were physically challenged. The founding members all shared a common bond in their passion for outdoor activities, and they believed these activities could help enhance mental and physical well-being as well as overall quality of life. Today, Challenge the Outdoors offers events and services — thanks to more than 100 local volunteers — that enable physically challenged sportspersons to participate in hunting, fishing and other outdoor recreational activities.

Our franchise owner, Steve Nooyen, had volunteered with Challenge the Outdoors and currently serves on its board of directors. Through his involvement, Steve learned firsthand of Challenge the Outdoors’ need for operating space; in fact, the nonprofit had been operating administratively out of commercial office space at Home Instead^® Green Bay, which is also owned by Steve and his wife. In addition, citing a lack of a centralized space, Challenge the Outdoors had been hosting its recreational programs for people with disabilities at various sites across Northeast Wisconsin.

In 2021, Challenge the Outdoors held a groundbreaking ceremony (pictured above) to kick off construction of a new recreational complex in Angelica, Wisconsin, approximately 15 miles from Home Instead Green Bay. That complex was made possible thanks to a donation from the Nooyen family.

Steve and his wife donated 13 acres they had previously purchased and pledged an additional $600,000 to construct a permanent home for the organization’s functions. The Nooyens also funded improvements to the adjacent fishing pond to make it accessible for people with disabilities.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

The new Challenge the Outdoors recreational complex is now entirely wheelchair accessible to provide opportunities for physically challenged sportspersons and outdoor enthusiasts. The rest of the land will soon be developed as recreational space for some of Challenge the Outdoors’ programs.

Additional on-site amenities include:

- Peter’s Pond — a large, private fishing pond with wheelchair-friendly piers
- A wheelchair-accessible nature trail
- A crossbow and archery range
- Space for educational seminars, including hunter’s safety and fly fishing
- A 2,500-square-foot clubhouse, featuring a kitchen, restrooms, community-gathering space for local organizations and a covered patio

Together with his start-up Wheelchair Whitetails, LLC and his involvement with Global Brigades/Eskala^®, Steve is carrying out his passion “to teach others about Love (v),” which is the Core Purpose of Steve’s organization — We Care Senior Care, LLC comprised of 15 Home Instead franchises across Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama.