ABOVE Truth in Nature leaders and kids prepare for adventure, from left, front: Program Director Tony Doolittle, Tamir Calloway and Nahmelle Cruz. Back: De'Sean Adams, Caleb Owen, Julian Owen and mentors Jamie Grubb and Tim Williams.
LEFT Mentor Jamie Grubb educates Caleb Owen on the importance of gun safety and aiming for skeet shooting.
“Tight lines, steady aim, cleansed hearts”
Tony Doolittle’s resemblance to Santa Claus should come as no surprise. Like Santa, he’s a perfect mix of father figure, mentor and hero.
Program director for Newnan’s chapter of the Truth in Nature ministry, Doolittle becomes a father figure for the young men served in the outdoor ministry for fatherless boys. As the father of seven, a baseball coach, counselor and youth leader in his church, he’s well-equipped to serve as a mentor for young men.
As a hero, he’s a distant relative of legendary World War II aviator Jimmy Doolittle, leader of the 1942 raid over Tokyo. So, being a hero to young men runs in his blood.
A lifelong outdoorsman, Doolittle says he has dedicated himself to Truth in Nature, which focuses on teaching boys the manly arts of hunting, fishing, boating, hiking and archery while promoting healthy male comradery. While participating in outdoor activities with the boys, mentors counsel them on what it means to become men of integrity, even though most have no adult male role models at home.
Truth in Nature founders Jeff and Carrie Davis both grew up without fathers for part of their youth – Carrie’s father died when she was 12, and Jeff was young when his parents divorced. They began their ministry in 2009 with two young boys. Twelve years later, the program has grown to include 15 chapters, primarily throughout the Southeast, and their plan is to expand the program nationwide.
Truth in Nature camp kids play a friendly game of basketball in between archery and marksmanship lessons.
Truth in Nature’s Newnan chapter holds camp activities at a remote site south of Rockmart. The property in a rugged and deep woods environment features as its centerpiece an eight-acre lake stocked with bluegill, crappie, bream and catfish. Making the spot ideal for adventurous young boys are two dozen cabins, a five-station skeet shooting range, 3D archery range, waterfall and cave.
Boys at camp have four flat bottom boats at their disposal for fishing, and their mentors teach them how to clean and prepare their daily catch. Marksmanship is one of the most popular activities, and a favorite spot for the campers is the five-station skeet shooting range at the property. At least once a year, a deer hunt is organized, and the ministry also has conducted squirrel hunts and plans to host a dove hunt. With each shooting activity, local law enforcement volunteers drill the boys on proper firearm safety. Campers practice their archery skills using life-sized game animal mannequins.
Young participants share their enthusiasm for the outdoors program.
“It really helps to get outside and learn outdoor activities because I don’t have a dad to do those things with,” says Julian Owen.
“I’m meeting cool people, shot a shotgun for the first time ever, and everyone treats you like family,” De Sean Adams chimed in.
Recruiting qualified male mentors for camp activities is the ministry’s greatest need. Prospective mentors are scrupulously vetted with background investigations, and mandatory checks are conducted each year. According to Doolittle, requisites for mentoring are a love for God and outdoor activities, plus a desire to establish meaningful relationships with fatherless boys under their charge.
Doolittle’s background makes him an ideal candidate for leading, mentoring and evangelizing fatherless boys in Coweta County. During his 27-year-career with Delta Airlines, he became involved with former New York Yankee World Series hero Brian Doyle in coaching youth baseball. Through Doyle’s Global Sports Federation’s worldwide ministry, Doolittle visited Cuba to coach baseball, and he worked extensively through his church as a youth counselor to elementary school-aged children.
ABOVE Caleb Owen playfully hugs Tony Doolittle, his mentor, during a session on gun safety. Doolittle considers it a success when the young men he mentors can be themselves.
RIGHT From left, Jay Wallace, who welcomes youth and their mentors onto his property for Truth in Nature adventures, and Tony Doolittle take a break from activities with camper Julian Owen.
The outdoorsman’s involvement with Truth in Nature began in February 2020 when he began mentoring two young boys. As with the rest of the world’s plans, the COVID-19 pandemic brought his fledgling ministry to a temporary halt. With activities back on track in summer 2021, he mentored six boys and had plans for including up to 12 more in upcoming camps.
Coming on strong like a modern-day Saint Nick on steroids, Doolittle exudes jolly optimism in all that he encounters and does. He shares his own take on the critical importance of the mission of Truth in Nature and his place in the program.
“This is the time of life when boys need their dad the most, and even though we’re not going to replace their dad, we can fill that void by teaching them how to respect others and how to love God and experience fellowship with Jesus Christ,” said Doolittle.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Truth in Nature receives funding through churches and private donors. Jay Wallace, benefactor and a major sponsor of the Truth in Nature camping facility, hopes to bring in several outdoor corporate sponsors to undergird expenses.
Whether they’re fishing for bream, spelunking or practicing marksmanship, the young campers and their mentors all have the time of their lives – so much so that it’s hard to figure out who’s having more fun, the kids or the adults. Call it a win-win for all involved as the future of Truth in Nature grows brighter. NCM