Outdoor Wish FOundation

The Swollfest Outdoor Wish Foundation (OWF) came to fruition after many years of meticulously combining the passions of the outdoors and the pursuit to give back. Swollfest, Inc., a 100% volunteer-run, non-profit organization, is based out of South Louisiana, where it’s main fundraiser is the annual Swollfest Fishing Rodeo started by Nick Rauber in 1997.

Through many years of growth with the fishing tournament, Swollfest began to develop ways of giving back, primarily donations to charitable organizations that had personal meaning to individual volunteers in Swollfest.

As the tournament stayed on a very steady, positive direction of growth, the Swollfest Outdoor Wish Foundation began to take shape because our culture appreciates everything the outdoors has to offer, including the power to heal. There is something about the cathartic experience one feels when surrounded by everything God gave us in our own Sportsman’s Paradise.

We decided, as a mission of the organization, to take differently-abled children and armed forces’ veterans on a once in a lifetime hunting or fishing experience. We did not want a submission process because we never wanted to tell someone “No.”

Therefore, OWF finds recipients unbeknownst to them, learns of their background and begins developing a unique experience for that individual. Each year, Swollfest gives out one or two experiences of a lifetime, but covers everything 100%. We always wanted to ensure that the recipient received the best of the best experience.

Granting our own Swollfest Outdoor Wish trips has become the centerpiece of our organization’s philanthropic endeavor. Nothing is more gratifying than seeing the whole concept develop into real life experience with raw emotions from all sides. Each experience is very unique for the recipient, their families, and our Swollfest family. The memories everyone goes home with will last a lifetime!