“Ginger gave me my life back” was how Suz explained her relationship with her service dog.
Suz knew that something had to change. She was not doing activities that she loved. She was not enjoying life. And then came to Ginger!
Suz joined the Navy after college. She started with the reserves, and then joined the Navy and attended Bootcamp in Orlando, FL. She was stationed in San Diego, CA. One night while she was on duty she was bitten by a black widow. Unfortunately, the bite was misdiagnosed and treated as a cactus prick, and the venom from the black widow went through her system.
Suz spent two years in the hospital, had twelve surgeries, and multiple times doctors thought they would have to take her leg. Fortunately, her leg was saved. She still gets steroid shots and has residual pain but she has full use of her leg.
Deputy Chief Kanger serves our community on the baseball field as a volunteer coach for PACE (Police Athletics for Community Engagement). He strives to give our youth an outlet for success through positive interactions and activities. He has helped establish and participates in a growing initiative called Operation NETS (Neighborhood Engagement Through Sports) which replaces torn neighborhood basketball nets with new ones and provides new sports equipment to at risk youth. He is also a coach through Operation NETS. It is reported he builds relationships with kids and the community. He truly cares for people and his actions speak volumes. Just spend a few minutes with Deputy Chief Kanger and you will see it for yourself.
Over the past 11 years the First Responders Foundation has delivered over 10,000 lunches to thank our first responders to let them know how much we appreciate their dedication and commitment to the citizens of our community. We call this effort ‘Appreciation Lunch Day’ and it happens the first week of June each year. It is a huge task and we could not do it without our valuable partners and dedicated volunteers who make it all happen.
To get kids involved, every year we reach out to different schools to decorate lunch bags for us to put the lunches in for delivery. The lunch bags highlight the impact that first responders have on our youth. The pictures that the kids draw, and the messages of admiration and appreciation are inspiring. We have been told by the first responders that this is one of the things they look forward to the most each year. A special thanks to the students of 
The First Responders Foundation is proud to honor Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer by inducting him into the Ancient Society of St. Florian and St. Michael.
We thank Chief Olsen for his dedication, professionalism, and leadership to the Omaha Fire Department and for the service to our community.
Hal served as a Captain, U.S. Army Infantry, Platoon Leader and Company Commander, served four-terms in the United States House of Representatives and was Mayor of the City of Omaha. As Mayor, Hal is remembered for bringing the police helicopter to advance public safety and infra-red helmets to the fire department. He brought the Sun Dawgs summer youth program to Omaha Parks & Recreation, the Downtown Riverfront Development for a Convention Center and Arena, the First National Bank Tower, the Union Pacific Center, the Hruska Federal Court House, the Curtis Regional Park Service Headquarters, the South Omaha Stockyards and North Omaha development projects and the West Dodge Expressway.
Jim Hanson Jr. is currently Chairman Emeritus for the First Responders Foundation after serving as Chairman in 2018/19. Jim has been with the Foundation since the beginning and was part of the team that created the #SupportBlue Movement and the 9/11 Minute of Silence. Jim has been an invaluable and dedicated member of the board, serving wherever needed, always with a can-do attitude and a smile.
Jim has a long history of volunteerism.
We are thankful for the Criss Foundation’s enduring financial support of the First Responders Foundation and for their commitment to the First Responders Support Team and the mental and emotional health of all first responders. Andy Davis accepted the award on behalf of the Criss Foundation. We thank Andy for partnering with and for his continued confidence in the First Responders Foundation. Andy shared the following:
