About Us
Friends of Our Veterans
My name is Judy Isaacson Elias. I am the founder of Heroes to Heroes. In many ways, though I am not a veteran, I am the first participant. At the age of 16, having given up on faith and life, my parents sent me on a journey to Israel with USY Pilgrimage. It was during that journey that I found my faith, connection, and myself. Heroes to Heroes is dedicated to my Dad. Growing up as a daughter of Master Sergeant Irving M. Isaacson, a proud veteran of World War II and a volunteer with disabled veterans until his passing (in 2001), I was raised to be proud and respectful of our military and those who fight to preserve our freedoms.
After my father’s passing, I felt a strong pull to continue his work with veterans. This purpose was defined during a trip to Walter Reed Medical Center. The young men and women we visited have such a strong sense of belief, purpose, and duty. Despite their injuries, they wanted to go back into battle to complete the goal that they had set out to accomplish. How could we possibly find the right words to thank these young heroes, not just for their tremendous sacrifice for our freedom but also for giving us the opportunity to give something back to them, in gratitude for their commitment and service?
As an American Mom, I had to do something. I volunteered to help and, while volunteering at a few organizations, was haunted by the number of suicides among our veterans. At the time, the official number was 22 per day – a national crisis. I studied suicide and found that belonging and faith are crucial to life, and knew what I had to do. Learning from my father, I knew that no veteran should be left behind. In March 2010, Heroes to Heroes was founded. Cliff Nolan, of blessed memory, joined me to build this program that has now developed into the premier program helping veterans return to civilian life.
For the past 15 years, Heroes To Heroes has worked with veterans who are struggling with remarkable outcomes. Many reported that they would have fared much better had Heroes To Heroes been their first stop. We are grateful for the past 15 years and are looking forward to working with veterans on college campuses who are working hard to better their lives through education.
College can be a Lonely and Stressful time for All Students. Imagine what it is like for a returning veteran...
After working with veterans for many years and seeing major changes among our veterans, we kept hearing “I wish I would have found Heroes To Heroes sooner”. Many of the veterans we work with were attending university and found the transition very difficult. After listening to their stories and learning of their challenges, we realized that something must be done to make sure that these men and women are given the tools and resources necessary to help them get through university as with support to become successful members of society.
We studied available programs and wanted to offer something different, an experience of a lifetime, one that will allow our veterans access to a different perspective about their service, to explore their spiritual roots, to develop an international support system, and to gain some insight into how to make the transition to private sector employment.
Heroes To Heroes was built from our desire to help American veterans from all walks of life who are struggling to re-enter civilian life.
An experience of a lifetime
Our veterans need your support
Please make a gift to support those who are working hard to better themselves. Your support helps them be productive members of society and continue their lives of service.
