Our Alumni Gathering on April 17th was awesome. We are so grateful for all of the wonderful people who come back to hang out with us. Thank you all. We are lucky.

We are very excited to have been included in the filming of this wonderful documentary "Old Man Fred" that Haptic Pictures is producing about Fred Homer, our favorite wildlife rehabilitator, woodworker, blacksmith, artist, and neighbor. Fred is 85 years old and has found true and simple joy in life. Thank you Willow O'Feral and Brad Heck at Haptic Pictures for including FLF!

We love the recreation therapy days where we get to enter the magical world of Fred Homer, local Vermont wildlife rehabilitator, blacksmith, and woodworking artist. Fred does everything with a tremendous amount of heart. We thank him for inviting us into his home to see Stella the blind barred owl, and for showing us his blacksmithing shop and all of the other birds that he is currently rehabilitating.

We are excited to announce the addition of Joe Gorman in the role of Peer Counselor here at FLF. Joe is a wise mentor and a fierce advocate who is steadfast in his commitment to our mission. He has been a great supporter of FLF and our clients since the beginning and we couldn't be more grateful to bring him onto our team in an official capacity.

Joe is a Certified Recovery Peer Advocate who brings years of experience and a ton of heart to helping our clients navigate their first steps on the journey to resiliency and wellness. Born in Brooklyn and raised in Staten Island, NY, Joe comes from a family with generations of civil and military service. He served as a police officer with NYPD from 1984-1987 before entering a 17 year career with FDNY. Joe was medically retired from FDNY in 2004 due to physical illness. While his firefighting career ended earlier than he would have liked, Joe poignantly reflects that he sought treatment for Post Traumatic Stress later than he should have. He has been sharing the lessons learned in life, the fire service, and his recovery journey with vets and first responders since 2019. Joe believes that being true to yourself, practicing consistently, and staying humble are values that can and will lead to success.

We are excited to officially announce the addition of Amy Jaffe to our team of clinicians. Since joining us in September, the skills and experience that Amy brings to the table have had a clear and positive impact on our clients and team. She is compassionate, empathetic, tough, and unwavering in her commitment to serving our veterans and first responders. We are grateful to be shoulder-to-shoulder with Amy as we continue this walk and advance our mission.

Amy is a former police officer and investigator of 30 years and earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Western Oregon State University. She holds a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from George Fox University in Portland, Oregon. Amy also completed the Trauma Response Institute Certification to prepare for mental health crisis work and mass casualties, has specialized training and experience in traumatic grief, and holds the Compassionate Bereavement Care Certification from Arizona State University.

We're excited to officially announce that after completing his internship at FLF, Josh Coates has joined our team as a staff clinician.

Josh received his Master of Social Work degree (MSW) at Tulane University. He grew up in eastern Massachusetts before moving to the western part of the state to attend college at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. There, he earned his BA in Sociology. After graduating, he worked as a firefighter paramedic in western Massachusetts for 14 years.

Josh's unique perspective as a first responder has only strengthened his resolve to serve the uniformed services community. He enjoys the outdoors, running, writing, and spending time with his family and his dogs. He is eager to serve clients and to work with the team at Front Line Foundations, and we're very grateful to have him

We are honored to have been featured on the excellent All Clear Podcast. These are good people who are really making a difference in the space of wellness and resiliency for first responders.

FLF is honored to have been chosen to bring our First Responder Resiliency Skills training to Cambridge Police Department's 9th annual Trauma-informed Training. We cannot thank Cambridge PD enough for their hospitality in setting up this crucial element of training for their front line officers. We fielded some tough and thought-provoking questions, handled some difficult topics, and found occasion to focus on hope and forgiveness for ourselves and our citizens along the way. FLF is deeply committed to our mission and we look forward to new and exciting partnerships like we found in Cambridge. All photos courtesy of Cambridge PD.

On May 5th, the Brattleboro Colonels Lacrosse had their first ever Salute to Service Game, a fundraising event to support our work here at Front Line Foundations. The goal of the event was to spread awareness about the mental health issues faced by so many of our veterans and first responders. Each player chose a service person to honor, and wore their names on the backs of their jerseys.

We want to thank the Brattleboro Colonels Boys Lacrosse Team and everyone who helped put together the Salute to Service Game last week. This event was very special to us for many reasons. Thank you to everyone who helped organize the event and who put in the time to raise money. And thank you to all of the businesses and individuals who donated.

This is a very well-written article describing what we do at our first responder program in Bellows Falls, Vermont. It details the story of our counselor Mike Cancellieri, and also tells story of our alumnus, Joe Gorman, who is a retired New York City firefighter. His company was among the first responders when the World Trade Center was attacked on Sept. 11, 2001. Read about how our program came to be and why it is that we do the work we do.

The FLF crew returns to Fact TV’s “The Feed - with Mike & Marty.” Watch Mike and Josh's interview where they introduce our new FIVE-DAY program.

We were glad to attend the annual Veteran's Expo at the Keene Family YMCA this year. It was started in 2015 by Southwestern Community Service’s “Supportive Services Program for Veterans Program” - led by Matt Primrose and John Rider. The goal of the Expo is to make local veterans aware of the local resources that are available to them.

“There are so many veterans out there who aren’t aware of the resources and support services available to them,” Matt Primrose, who now works as the Facilities Manager at the Keene Family YMCA said about resurrecting the event.

Our clinical director Jen Sell-Knapp will be the keynote speaker at Castleton University's "Building Strength Through Wellness" conference on June 22nd. She will be discussing how acute and chronic stress impacts the health of first responders and other service professionals, and how certain body-based practices can help to regulate these stress responses.

Radio event highlights mental health support for vets, EMS.

On Saturday April 16th, FLF's own Mike Cancellieri will be joining Team 2-22 Infantry in the Boston Marathon's Tough Ruck - a rucking marathon in Concord, MA where an elite group of 1,000 carry a 35 lb rucksack to honor America's fallen military and first responders.

You can catch FLF's new radio ads on these local radio stations. Each one will feature a different testimonial from a veteran or first responder who has been through our program. A big thanks to our friend Peter Case at Great Eastern Radio in Brattleboro, VT for all of his support.

Friend of Front Line Foundations and woodworker, Brad, designed this custom sign for us! It looks wonderful over the entrance to our program. We are beyond grateful. Thank you, Brad!

On January 22nd, we were honored to receive a very generous donation from RIDE 22. They are a non-profit organization based in Taunton, MA whose mission is to raise awareness about veteran and first responder suicide. They hold a large annual fundraiser and motorcycle ride and give the money that they raise to other non-profits that support veterans and first responders. Thank you so much, Paul and Kim, for all of the wonderful work that you do!