Supporting Our Nation's First Responders
Alley the Arson Dog was in the news! Good job, Alley! The First Responders Foundation is honored to have a fund that helps provide for Alley’s training and care. We thank our donors for the support of Alley. Watch the video of Alley and the Sobotka family on KETV.
https://www.wowt.com/content/news/Knicely-Done-Its-a-dogs-double-life-508144421.html
The First Responders Foundation is proud and excited to announce the recipients of the 2019 “Awards of Excellence”. These awards are meant to recognize children of our First Responders who are high school seniors and have demonstrated good character and balanced achievements in their lives. We congratulate all the recipients.
Awards of Excellence Scholarships were made possible thanks to the following donors who fully-funded one or more of the awards: Farmers Insurance, Jim Killips, Carol Stolp, Mary Rosenthal, Ray Somberg, Terry Headley, Tom Holland, Keith Basham, Susan Wier, Chuck Sederstrom, Al & Teri Batschelet.
The Awards of Excellence Reception was supported by Nelson Murphy Insurance and Investments and Farmers Insurance.
Police Recipients
Fire Recipients
Recipients: remember to tell your school about your award so it can be included alongside other scholarship announcements!
We appreciate the hard work and dedication exhibited by all applicants and wish everyone continued success in all future endeavors.
Awards of Excellence Scholarships were made possible thanks to the following donors who fully-funded one or more of the awards: Farmers Insurance, Jim Killips, Carol Stolp, Mary Rosenthal, Ray Somberg, Terry Headley, Tom Holland, Keith Basham, Susan Wier, Chuck Sederstrom, Al & Teri Batschelet.
The Awards of Excellence Reception was supported by Nelson Murphy Insurance and Investments and Farmers Insurance
Ray Somberg is the co-founder and recently retired executive director of the First Responders Foundation. Ray has given countless hours to the First Responders Foundation, including recruiting board members, raising money, managing programs, and building special relationships with the police and firefighters.
When first responders needed help with equipment or had a personal tragedy – Ray and his board were there. They started the #SupportBlue campaign, they help pay for equipment for youth sports coached by first responders, they created scholarships for the graduates of police and firefighter families, and so much more.
Over $1.6 million has been donated by the Foundation since it was founded in 2008, to purchase equipment and provide programs for Omaha Fire and Police Departments to enhance public safety.
For his remarkable vision, his perseverance, and his dedication to the first responders of greater Omaha we award this first medallion for the National Society of Saints Florian and Michael to Ray Somberg.
“I want to extend my congratulations to the other honorees. These folks have made extremely significant contributions to the success of the First Responders Foundation and it is a privilege for me to be recognized with them on this occasion.
I feel strongly that I have received far too much credit for what the Foundation has accomplished and the Board of Directors and Staff have received far too little credit. I am deeply indebted to past and present board members and staff for the passion and dedication they have exhibited in accomplishing the Foundation’s mission.”
-Ray Somberg
This Friday at 7pm, there will be a special tribute to fallen Officer Kerrie Orozco & Deputy Mark Burbridge at the I-80 Speedway, featuring driver Jim Cahill doing a reverse tribute lap in his car (pictured below) followed by the Omaha Police Dept., Pottawatomie County Sheriff’s Dept., Douglas County Sheriff’s Dept., Ralston Police Dept., Bellevue Police Dept., La Vista Police dept., Papillion Police Dept., and the Council Bluffs Police Dept.
Cahill’s race car is wrapped in graphics as a tribute to Deputy Mark Burbridge.
The First Responders Foundation will also be on hand to participate in the tribute lap and raise money to support area first responders.
We are proud and excited to announce the recipients of the 2018 Awards of Excellence, which go to high school seniors who are children of our First Responders and have demonstrated commitment to community.
The Awards of Excellence are made possible by our Booster Club.
Police Recipients
Fire Recipients
The recipients were recognized at a ceremony at Champions Run on April 26th.
The Tri-County Fire Corps Exploring Program is a 10-week training program that gives young people a sense of what it’s like to be a firefighter. The program celebrated its first graduation earlier this month.
Youth participants receive instruction in CPR/AED, fire extinguishers, ropes and knots, hose rolls, search and rescue, ladders, hazmat awareness, and ventilation.
We are a proud sponsor of this effort that pulls together paid & volunteer fire departments in a joint training program – the first of it’s kind.
Below is a news article from WOWT announcing that our Bleeding and Shock Kits campaign met its fundraising goal! Read the article below, or click here to watch a video of the story.
OMAHA, Neb. (WOWT) — The campaign to outfit metro first responders with a new layer of life-saving gear has hit its funding target and the new tools are in place.
We told you about the Bleeding and Shock Kit Project last month.
The goal is to protect the citizens of Omaha in the event of a mass casualty incident. The project will outfit 24 of the City’s emergency response vehicles with life-saving kits that include items such as tourniquets, pressure dressings, decompression needles and more.
Officials announced Thursday that the project had met its funding goal in time for the College World Series.
The $25,000 project was funded thanks to donations from the public, along with funding and assistance from organizations such as the First Responders Foundation, CHI Health Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy, Nebraska Medicine, MECA, the Omaha Professional Fire Fighters Association, and Berkshire Hathaway Real Estate.
“We’re extremely thankful to the corporations that stepped up in support of this project, as well as the citizens of
Omaha who donated,” said project organizer and Omaha Firefighter Dustin Talacko. “With your support, Omaha is now better equipped to handle an unthinkable crisis, should one occur.”
We are so appreciative when businesses in our community support our first responders! Bucky’s Convenience Stores are a great example. The company recently donated 100 cases of water (that’s 2,400 bottles!) to the First Responders Foundation, and we in turn provided them to first responders battling heat and humidity to work the College World Series.We’d like to thank Diann Swigart at First National Bank of Omaha who recently received a $500 employee-directed donation and chose to support the First Responders Foundation! She also organized a team of 6 volunteers to deliver 480 sack lunches to first responders as part of our Annual Appreciation Lunches.
Thank you Diann and her team for supporting first responders and the men and women who put their lives on the line every day.
Every year we look forward to the day we bring lunches to the Omaha Police Department and Omaha Fire Department to show them how much we appreciate their dedicated service! Last Thursday was the 8th annual First Responders Appreciation Day, and volunteers delivered over 900 lunches (in colorful bags decorated by schoolchildren) to area first responders.
Special thanks to our Board, Arby’s, Rotella’s Italian Bakery Inc, Omaha Steaks, Ideal Pure Water, C&A Industries, and all our volunteers and friends at First National Bank of Omaha for helping out by packing and delivering lunches!
contact@firstrespondersfoundation.org
The First Responders Foundation does not solicit donations by phone or employ outside companies to do so. You can make a donation by mail, by phone or through our website.
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