Paul Thacker’s Nonprofit: Supporting Veterans Through Adaptive Sports and Outdoor Adventures

Paul Thacker, a Monster athlete, experienced a life-changing snowmobile accident in 2010 that left him paralyzed. In the wake of this tragedy, he founded the Paul Dean Thacker Spinal Cord Recovery Foundation, dedicated to supporting those with similar spinal cord injuries. The foundation focuses on funding research to find cures and also runs a veteran program that offers snowmobiling and fishing experiences to aid in their recovery from battlefield trauma. We continue to make annual financial contributions to the foundation and are honored to collaborate with Paul, whose resilience is truly inspiring. 

Recently, we had the opportunity to catch up with Paul Thacker to discuss his passion for fishing and the latest developments in his work with veterans. 

Monster Energy: Could you give our readers some background about yourself? 

Paul Thacker: I started working with Monster in 2006, initially competing in Snow Cross and later in X Games, where I set world records in distance jumping. In 2010, while training for the X Games, I broke my back but continued to compete after my injury. Remarkably, I earned more medals after my accident than before. Shortly after my injury, I established a small nonprofit to help injured action sports athletes with equipment and support. I also participated in a Monster Energy video series for Veteran rehab centers, sharing my story of recovery and returning to a high quality of life. 

Monster Energy: You've been with Monster since 2006. How has your experience been? 

Paul Thacker: It’s been fantastic. I consider Monster a family. I've had a great relationship with Rodney Sacks and everyone at Monster from the start. Over the nearly 20 years, it’s been impressive to see the company evolve from its early guerrilla marketing days into a global powerhouse. 

Monster Energy: Your videos and Instagram show your strong connection to the brand. We also noticed your newborn baby with a Monster beanie—congratulations! How’s parenthood going? 

Paul Thacker: Parenthood has been amazing. Despite the advice we received about how our lives would change, it's been a wonderful experience. My wife has been incredible, and our son, Jack, who is under four months old, has been a joy. It’s a bit surreal that we brought him home from the hospital, and he’s a cheerful and content baby. With my travel schedule, my wife handles most of the care, but I do my best to support her and make things easier.