We recently connected with Michael Singer and have shared our conversation below.
Michael, appreciate you joining us today. What’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Day 36 on the Mississippi River; half-way through a difficult day of paddling and being buzzed by bass tournament boats, a local couple near Princeton Beach, Iowa approaches our canoe to shield us from the bass boats. Curious about our American flag and decals, they ask what we are we doing on the river. After explaining to them that we are paddling the entire Mississippi source to sea for charity, they dedicate their day to making us feel the hospitality that the river has to offer. Not only did Randy & Pat donate to The Resolute Warfighter Foundation, they boated across the river to our beach camp for the night, bringing us mac and cheese, wine, cookies, firewood, and great company for the evening. We were reassured, there are kind and philanthropic people throughout the Mississippi River and the United States.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
1 year before getting out of the Marine Corps, I created The Resolute Warfighter Foundation to help veterans struggling with their mental health. In todays world, it seems nearly everything is bad for mental health, but one thing I am 100% sure is positive; escaping the stressors of life to spend a week in the remote wilderness of northern Minnesota free from anxiety, internet and everything else pushing down on you. I take veterans into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, where we spend our time filtering water to drink, catching fish to eat, building fire to stay warm and sharing our experiences. As a debut fundraiser, September-November 2024, I canoed with my wife from Lake Itasca, Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico over 2,300 miles over the course of 84 days. This trip has raised money to acquire canoes and gear for our annual trip. The Resolute Warfighter Foundation is dedicated to helping veterans. 100% of donations go towards gear and transportation costs of veterans BWCAW trips.
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
Do something new! Each day I documented my 2,300 mile, 3-month canoe trip down the Mississippi River. Hunting and fishing for food along the way, building a fire each night and enduring the wind, cold and rain that nature has to offer. My goal was and is to reach donors and veterans that need help. Do something extreme, take risks, life is too short to continue with the mundane.
We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.
Only 6 days into our 84-day journey, we approach Lake Winnibigoshish, the largest lake along the Mississippi River. A direct cross in a canoe is about 12 miles. 4:30 am September 9th, 2024; we pack up camp and attempt to cross before the water begins to stir. 1-mile across and I can no longer control the canoe in the whitecaps. We return back to last night’s campsite and unpack to try again the next day. 4:30 am September 10th, 2024; on our 2nd attempt the wind is less than 5 knots, still enough to generate white caps in a lake this big. Half-way through the 12 mile crossing, we experience what seems like a plague, millions of biting flys had retreated to the middle of the lake to die on the top of the water. Our wake stirred them. We covered out faces and hands and continued to paddle as fast as we could. After 5 hours, we made it to the other side, to continue our journey another 78 days.
Contact Info:
- Website: [email protected]
- Instagram: @Resolute_warfighter
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/The-Resolute-Warfighter-Foundation/100095151460409/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resolute-warfighter-foundation/
