News and Updates
News
Local Issues, Real People Features Hero’s Bridge
In recognition of Veterans Day, WJMA's J.D. Slade invited Hero's Bridge CEO Molly Brooks back to his studio for an update on the organization. Slade learned about Hero's Bridge when Brooks helped his friend, a Vietnam Veteran, acquire war medals that had been lost,...
Hero’s Bridge 2022 Veterans Day Recognition
Veterans Day is our biggest day of the year and shone brightly this year. From Middle Schools to offices, we celebrated our veterans throughout the day. During the week prior, we visited with our veterans with care packages in hand to thank them for their service and...
Still Feeling a Call to Action
Robert Sommer would love to tell you about the places he "didn't" go, the projects that "don't" exist, or the facilities that "cannot be named". He cannot. What he can tell you about is the people. "There were heroes on the ground (soldiers in the theater) and then...
Veteran’s Spotlight: Hero’s Bridge Expands Services To Madison, Orange Counties
Editor’s Note: If you are a military veteran, age 65 and older, who is lonely or in need of assistance, contact Hero’s Bridge at (540) 341-5378. The office in Warrenton is staffed Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and you can leave a message at any time. Hero’s...
Hero’s Bridge pays tribute to veterans at Poet’s Walk
On Friday, Nov. 4, representatives from Hero’s Bridge in Warrenton visited residents and staff from Poets Walk Warrenton to conduct a pinning ceremony for veterans living at the facility. The ceremony began with a presentation of colors from the Liberty High School...
Bringing Peace and Harmony Home from War
Vietnam Veteran Roy Morris didn't finish high school -- moving and adjusting to a new school every school took its toll and he dropped out. While playing bass professionally in a band, he saw some older people top 40 in a club. "I didn't want that to be me," says Roy,...
Amissville Veteran John Victor served during depths of Cold War to help prevent future conflicts
On Nov. 7, Army Veteran John Victor celebrated his 91st birthday. He was born in 1931 in the country near Monongahela, Pennsylvania. The family moved into town so that John could have access to a better education when he reached school age. His father, a World War I...
Paw Patrol Program Goes Above and Beyond
Paw Patrol coordinator, Kayla Johnson went above and beyond for a homeless veteran and his two dogs, a Jack Russell named Rascal and a Boxer named Susie. Navy Veteran, Jim, had to sell his home in June 2021 to pay his bills. He moved into a motel with his two dogs. He...
Celebrate the Holidays with Hero’s Bridge
Remember a Hero This Holiday Season Wreaths Across America Day has a mission to Remember, Honor and Teach by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies at National Cemeteries throughout the country a total of 2,500 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea, and...
Hero’s Bridge chosen to be this year’s Warrenton Christmas Parade’s beneficiary
The Town of Warrenton’s annual Christmas parade down Main Street will be held 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2. Premiere Hospitality in Marshall will produce the event. The parade will proceed on the same route along Main Street as it has in the past, and will be accepting...
Guardians of Freedom
The Hero's Bridge Guardians of Freedom is a gallery of images portraying our local veterans in many cases holding an image from their time in service. We welcome veterans to reach out and sit for a portrait. We welcome businesses to sponsor this gallery of images....
Veteran Larry Corbin Flies Again
On a beautiful late summer day in August, 91-year-old Korean War Army Veteran, Larry Corbin did something he hadn’t done in 75 years: flew in a small Warbird aircraft, a Fairchild UC-61, which happened to be just one year younger than him. “Not long after WWII, I was...
November Newsletter: A Note From Molly
The holiday spirit is strong at Hero's Bridge! As we do each month, we spent our time focusing on aging veterans in our region. However, in addition to improving their quality of life through everyday needs, this month we also spent a fair amount of time celebrating...
October Newsletter: A Note from Molly
I am excited to share that I have completed the George W. Bush Institute Stand-To Veteran Leadership Program. When former President Bush was designing the Institute, he had to decide what he wanted to focus on in his post-presidency era. He wanted to make sure that he...
September Newsletter: A Note from Molly
A little levity is a welcome change for our office and team members. Our veterans' needs come in all shapes and sizes and for some, the changes we bring to their lives make a huge difference. Whether it's much-needed medicine we help them get with a drive to a...
August Newsletter: A Note From Molly
Summer is winding down in our region and our youth volunteers are returning to their classrooms. We are fortunate to have 16 youth among our volunteers. We hope their interactions with our veterans have made an impression on them. The name Hero's Bridge is indicative...
July Newsletter: A Note from Molly
Summer has proven itself to be a challenging time for our veterans, especially so this year. Finances are tenuous and making ends meet for older people has become harder than ever. Combine unprecedented storms, power outages, and sustained high temperatures with...
June Newsletter: A Note From Molly
This has been an exciting month for Hero's Bridge! While my team held down the fort, I attended the first week of the Bush Institute leadership program. This program is giving me an opportunity to learn from peers and national experts how to best grow the organization...
A Memorial Day Note from Molly
While we honor and help aging veterans everyday, there is always an echo of their younger selves that we can hear if we listen closely. It is the strong, vibrant young man or woman who left their school, their family, their friends to take up arms and travel to exotic...
April Newsletter: A Note from Molly
This was such an exciting month for us! We welcomed eighteen new veterans to our services which is a record number for us. One of our combat Vietnam veterans was also gifted a new roof by a local construction company. This is significant to us for several reasons....
March Newsletter: A Note From Molly
As an organization that serves aging veterans, many of the people we help are men who served in WWII, the Korean War, and/or the Vietnam War. Many, but not all. Over the years, we have featured female veterans who have had groundbreaking careers during their service....
December Newsletter: A Note From Molly
The holiday season is challenging. While in our personal lives, we are fortunate to have family and friends who love us and surround us to celebrate the holidays, our work with Hero's Bridge reveals a much lonelier side of the season. Our aging veterans returned home...
November Newsletter: A Note From Molly
Every day the Hero’s Bridge team demonstrates our thanks and gratitude for our veterans. We do this with many simple acts of kindness: a birthday card, a coloring page, assistance with groceries, and more. These simple acts are to help make days easier, less lonely,...
October Newsletter: A Note from Molly
Every day is Veterans Day at Hero's Bridge, however we are always grateful at this time of year when the nation takes time to recognize and honor all Veterans who have so honorably served. We will be spending special one-on-one time with many of our veterans that week...