Hero's Bridge Village
Donate NowSpeakers Invited to Support the Hero’s Bridge Village Project
In response to the September 12 Town Council Meeting Public Comment period when members of the community spoke in opposition to the Hero’s Bridge Village project, Hero’s Bridge invites supporters to register with Hero’s Bridge to speak at an upcoming Planning Commission, Town Council, and/or Candidate Forum meeting.
The purpose of the Hero’s Bridge supportive speakers list is to better educate the community about the reason and need for the Hero’s Bridge Village.
We invite supporters to review the Hero’s Bridge Village Frequently Asked Questions. These were compiled from concerns during the public comment period. This list will be added to as concerns arise.
Someone will respond to each speaker registration.
The Need for the Hero’s Bridge Village
Prior military service, especially in combat, has been shown to greatly affect the aging process.
While some veterans do well, many others experience chronic illnesses from Agent Orange and other wartime exposures. The loss of a spouse, retirement, or illness often sends these heroes in a downward spiral and the military culture they know keeps them from asking for help. Every day we receive calls from hospitals, emergency rooms, social services, churches, and other organizations asking us to help with an older veteran they have come across. We can assist many of them in their own homes, but some situations are just too severe to help them where they are. They need a Village.
A safe, clean home is a basic necessity, essential to a human’s well-being and we have a responsibility to ensure every senior veteran has safe and supportive housing. For our older heroes, trying to sustain big unwieldy houses can be what tips the scales from independence to dependence
Hero’s Bridge Village will be first of its kind community dedicated exclusively to aging veterans to lift our aging veterans out of substandard living conditions and social isolation.
The Hero’s Bridge Village will radically change the lives of these veterans as well as the culture of our community. Our pocket community will prioritize socialization and wellness, not profit. It will be a place of peace and healing, not maximum square footage. Our veterans of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam have already given so much, the least we can do for them is provide affordable and supportive housing.
We hope you will join us in our mission to make sure No Vet Is Left Behind!
Spend just 15 minutes to learn more about our region’s aging veterans living conditions to learn more about why the need for our village is so great.

The Story Behind the Brick: Duane Huffman
The recent passing of Mark Huffman's father serves as a reminder to him that moments are fleeting and once they are gone, you can't get them back. "I know that he served in the National Guard and was never called into action, but I don't know much beyond that," he...
Running for Heroes Running Update
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly RUNNING FOR HEROES TELLS IT LIKE IT IS Running for Heroes has taken on the challenge of running one marathon, every month in 2021 to raise $26,200 for the Hero’s Bridge Veterans Village. With only two marathons to go, they are close to...
Behind the Brick: Kim Townsend honors family members with Village Commemorative Bricks
Kim Townsend is commemorating two family members with bricks at the Hero's Bridge Veterans Village. The first is for her husband, Tim, a retired Army veteran who passed away in February 2010 from lung cancer. "He served in Desert Storm," said Townsend. Proximity to...
Number Seven in the Books
"We couldn't have asked for better weather," said Rick Heppard, veteran, Operation Enduring Freedom. It was a cool and cloudy morning. The runners began at 6am, with the sun just coming up. "I was a little worried that it would be a really tough run as I hadn't put a...
Running for Heroes Needs Your Support!
Having run four monthly marathons since January 2021, both Bobby Brooks and Rick Heppard are beginning to feel the strain of their endeavor with minor injuries and fatigue. This past weekend they ran the Gettysburg Festival of Races. While the weather was perfect and...
Running for Heroes March Marathon for Vietnam Veterans
Running for Heroes finished their third marathon this weekend in recognition of Vietnam Veterans Day on March 29. Their goal is to run 12 marathons in 2021 to raise $26,200 for the Veteran’s Village. “Overall, our time is staying pretty consistent. I felt the miles in...
Veteran runs 48 miles in 48 hours to raise funds for Hero’s Bridge Veterans Village
Operation Desert Storm veteran Bobby Brooks is half of the running duo called Running for Heroes. The two are raising $26,200 by running one marathon every month during 2021. The money will be donated to the Hero’s Bridge Village, a planned community for marginalized...
Checking In With Our Runners: Marathon #2
This weekend, Rick Heppard and Bobby Brooks completed their second marathon, on their way to 12 marathons in 2021 to raise $26,200 for the Hero's Bridge Veterans Village. While the forecast looked bleak, the runners postponed their start time for a few hours and were...
Veterans and Experienced Runners Commit to 12-Marathons in 2021 to Raise $26,200 for Hero’s Bridge Veterans Village
Bobby Brooks and Rick Heppard recognize the challenges everyone faced in 2020, but they focus their attention on the veterans, specifically the Vietnam Veterans. "2020 was the 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War and many commemorations and memorials that were supposed...
Hero’s Bridge Releases Mini-Documentary Confronting Substandard Living Conditions of Region’s Aging Veterans
Help us build a tiny veteran village.