OPERATION FIRST RESPONSE

First and foremost, Operation First Response is a family. We are a family made up of volunteers who are dedicated to serving our wounded military and their families. We are a family made up of mothers, fathers, wives, husbands, brothers, sisters, and friends. We are a family of Veterans of far too many conflicts and wars. We are a family of ordinary people from across the nation. We believe it is our duty and our responsibility to give back to those who have sacrificed so much to keep us free.

Operation First Response is a direct service charity. As such, we give back over 95% of the monies we raise directly to those military families who need our assistance. Since our inception in 2004, Operation First Response has raised over $9 Million Dollars and served over 17,000 wounded Heroes and their families.

The ongoing revelations, regarding the Veterans Administration, highlight the failure of the system. A new VA claim has an average wait time of six months to a year. If disputed, a claim can take up to four years before a Veteran can receive the benefits rightfully due to him/her. This reality makes it even more important for organizations like Operation First Response to continue our efforts to help our Nation’s wounded and seriously ill Service Members.

We have all seen television commercials that have shown, in heart wrenching detail, the challenges our wounded Heroes face. We see the catastrophic wounds and burns. What we do not see are the struggles faced by those with traumatic brain injuries and PTSD. These invisible injuries, if gone untreated, can take a devastating toll on our Veterans and their families. You see this everyday with the rise in the suicide rate among our Veterans. In many cases these suicides can be directly attributed to a Veteran’s inability to care for his/her family.

Our Family Assistance Program was developed with the main purpose of alleviating the financial difficulties facing a wounded Hero’s family. We serve all branches of the military. We provide personal and financial services from the onset of the injury or illness, throughout the recovery period, and along the journey from military life to the civilian world.
Our services include airline flights, lodging, and car transportation to/from airport and hospital. We also provide financial support for the basics like groceries, clothing, mortgage, rent, utilities, and vehicle payments. The things that we take for granted are not so easy for our wounded Veterans and their families.
Without the worry of having the electricity or gas shut off, or whether there is enough money to buy food for the children, our wounded Veterans can concentrate on their recovery with a brighter hope for the future.

The challenge for any charity is raising funds so it can fully provide the services it offers. For OFR, the worst that can happen is getting a call from a family in need and not having the resources to help. Sometimes a warm and understanding voice just is not enough. At those times, and there is an ebb and flow to this, we will work with other organizations to fill the void.

OFR uses a variety of venues to raise funds and bring awareness of how we serve our wounded Heroes and their families. There are dozens of these events, held in many states. They include wine tastings, golf tournaments, raffles, and more. Two of our biggest fund raisers are Walk for the Wounded events held in Media, PA and Ocean City, NJ.

Unfortunately, the number of brave men and women who need our help grows every year. And every year, we fall short of having the funds to serve those families in need of our assistance. To us, this is heartbreaking.