Supporting Local Veterans
Monday, August 5th, 2024 9th Annual Golf Outing
11:00 Registration & Lunch12:00 Shotgun Start
Golf Outing Is Full - Thank you Again!
LATEST NEWS:
Partnership with the Bucks County Bar Foundation
Veterans caught up in the criminal justice system are getting much needed additional support thanks to a grant from The Friends for Heroes Foundation
We are very proud that, in partnership with the Bucks County Bar Foundation, we spent the entire year in 2023 working with the Bucks County District Attorney’s Office, to create a position for a Social Worker for the Veterans Treatment Program that the Court runs in Bucks County. The Bucks County Veterans Treatment Program, for those of you that are not familiar, was established by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office to address the needs of veterans cycling through the county court, probation and parole, and prison system. It is, at its core, a program to give qualified veterans a second chance and not have one mistake ruin their lives; especially given that so many veterans have service related issues that need addressing and treatment.
A grant was issued late in 2023, funded by the Friends for Heroes Foundation and the Bucks County Bar Foundation to be used solely for the hiring of a part-time social worker who will work closely with veterans participating in the Bucks County Veterans Treatment Program. In November 2023, the Bucks County Veterans Treatment Program Social Worker became a reality and we have already provided essential, life altering help to dozens of area veterans.
The Bucks County Veterans Treatment Program, funded by the Bucks County Bar Foundation The Friends for Heroes Foundation, were able to obtain a grant that is used for the recent hiring of a part-time social worker who will work closely with veterans participating in the program.
Jerard M. Johnson, a U.S. Navy veteran, was hired to work as a liaison between treatment providers, the probation department, the District Attorney’s office, and the court to help meet the needs of veterans that can end up falling through the cracks. Johnson, a recent graduate of Temple University, will provide a full range of social and case management services to veterans in the program, and work with them and their family to help them utilize all resources available to them.
This Veterans Treatment Program Social Worker would not be possible without The Friends for Heroes Foundation providing much of the funding of this vital position that will surely help Bucks County veterans and their families.
Jeffrey Liebmann, Esquire, President of the Bucks County Bar Foundation and Co-Chair of The Friends for Heroes Foundation said of the funding for the social worker; “We at The Friends for Heroes Foundation firmly believe that the social worker will provide a safety net to those most at risk veterans in the Bucks County Veterans Treatment Program. It is our honor to help in this small way.”
The Bucks County Veterans Treatment Program was established by the Bucks County District Attorney's Office to address the needs of veterans cycling through the county court, probation and parole, and prison system.
Participants are supervised throughout the program and receive guidance and support from veteran mentors with the goal of reducing recidivism and helping these veterans return to their jobs and families and become productive citizens.
This program represents a unique collaborative effort between the Criminal Division of the Bucks County Court of Common Pleas, the District Attorney's Office, the Public Defender's Office, the Bucks County Bar Foundation, The Friends For Heroes Foundation, the County Department of Veterans Affairs, and the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
For more information on the program, visit: https://buckscounty.gov/751/Veterans-Treatment-Program
For its efforts in 2023, the Friends for Heroes Foundation was awarded the William H. Eastburn, III Award by the Bucks County Bar Association. The purpose of the William H Eastburn, III Award is to recognize a person or entity who has made a significant contribution to the Bucks County system of justice. The recipient “Promotes a better understanding of our system of justice; Encourages greater respect for law and the courts; Stimulates a deeper sense of individual responsibility so that citizens recognize their duties as well as their rights; Contributes to the effective functioning of our institutions of government; and Fosters a better understanding and appreciation of the rule of law.” A very special honor for the Friends for Heroes Foundation family.
Also, in March 2024, the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Council of County Bar Leaders awarded the Bucks County Bar Association a County Bar Recognition Award for the Veterans Treatment Program Social Worker hiring with the Friends for Heroes Foundation.
10,000 Donation to Shamrock Reins
Special Thanks to Friends For Heroes for their $10,000 Donation to Shamrock Reins. This generous donation will be applied directly to our life-saving Equine Therapy Program for Veterans. Your support is greatly appreciated.
William H. Eastburn III Award from the Bucks County Bar
Jeffrey Liebmann, Esquire, Co-Chair of The Friends for Heroes Foundation, accepting the William H. Eastburn III Award from the Bucks County Bar Association for their work in helping to make a Veterans Treatment Program Social Worker a reality in partnership with the Bucks County Bar Association and the Bucks County Bar Foundation.
William H. Eastburn, III Award
The purpose of the William H. Eastburn, III Award is to recognize the person or entity who has made significant contributions to the Bucks County system of justice.
The qualities of the recipient(s), who shall not be a member of the Bucks County Bar Association, shall be to:
- Promote better understanding of our system of justice;
- Encourage greater respect for law and the courts;
- Stimulate a deeper sense of individual responsibility so that citizens recognize their duties as well as their rights; Contribute to the effective functioning of our institutions of government; and Foster a better understanding and appreciation of the rule of law.
PAST STORIES:
If you were at our events in 2018 & 2019, you heard from our friend, Army CPL Kevin McCloskey, who participated in our outing and spoke about his injuries from 2008 in Logar Province, Afghanistan. In fact, Kevin celebrates his “Alive Day”, every year on June 18th. It was a very moving story. He also told us of the specially designed home that was being donated to him and his Wife in Southampton from Homes for our Troops. You can read more about Kevin’s story here: https://www.hfotusa.org/building-homes/veterans/mccloskey/. We made a commitment that day to Kevin to dedicating our efforts to ensure he was able to move into his home as soon as possible. I am proud to tell you, that with the assistance of Friends for Heroes, Kevin and his wife Bridget took the keys to their new home on January 12th, 2019. What a great day that was to see an entire community welcome Kevin and Bridget home. I encourage you to click on the following links:
https://www.fox29.com/news/army-veteran-gets-new-handicap-accessible-home-in-southampton
Last year, we were able to complete the fences at our friend, Army CPL Kevin McCloskey’s home. There were delays due to the pandemic, but we finally got it done! Kevin has participated in our Golf Outing and spoke at our banquet over the last three years about his injuries from 2008 in Logar Province, Afghanistan. He also shared with us about the specially designed home that was built and donated by Homes for our Troops. With the assistance of Friends for Heroes, Kevin and his wife Bridget took the keys to their new home in 2019. It was a great day that was to see an entire community welcome Kevin and Bridget home! You can read more about Kevin’s story here:
Friends for Heroes visit Shamrock Reins
It was an honor to have our foundation visit Shamrock Reins and it’s founder, Janet Brennan, to present her with a check for $5,000 from Friends for Heroes. Shamrock Reins is a charitable organization that provides equine assisted activities and therapies for veterans, active duty & reserve service members. Their work is inspiring and life saving. Thank you to the Bucks County Bar Foundation for introducing us to this wonderful place. We promise this will not be the last you see of us, Janet!
How Can We Help?
Friends for Heroes Foundation was founded six years ago with the stated mission of helping veterans and their families in the area through an annual Golf Outing. With the help of many of you, we have been able to raise a considerable amount of money to help those in our area. The Friends for Heroes Foundation has the financial resources to aid local veterans and their families pay mortgages, rent, buy food or even help provide their families with a happy holiday season. We are hopeful that this message will motivate all of you to share our organization with the hope of reaching a veteran or the family of a veteran in need. We cannot reach them on our own.
Our goal for Friends for Heroes Foundation is to “humbly say ‘thank you,’ and to remind as many of our veterans as we are able that they will not be forgotten…not ever.”
If you are a veteran in need of a helping hand, please email friendsforheroes@gmail.com with your situation and your contact information and we will do our very best to help. All information is kept confidential.
To make a tax deductible contribution to support our efforts to help area veterans, please visit www.friendsforheroes.com. We appreciate your support!
