Heroes to Heroes

The Rotary Club of Teaneck was pleased to have as guest speaker at their luncheon meeting, June 19th, Judy L. Schaffer.

Ms. Schaffer is the President and founder of Heroes to Heroes Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization that is dedicated to serving veterans from all backgrounds.

According to Ms. Schaffer, every 80 minutes an American veteran commits suicide. As a result, more soldiers are lost at home than on the battlefield. The mission of Heroes to Heroes is to help stop this trend.

With the help of the military and the VA, Heroes to Heroes Foundation identifies those most in danger and make them part of an international team.

Heroes To Heroes Journeys to Israel gives American disabled veterans the experience of a lifetime and is designed to educate, motivate, stimulate discussion and bonding with peers, and be a springboard for emotional and spiritual healing both during and after the experience.

The purpose of the trip is to have participants motivate, inspire, teach and support one another as they are exposed to different perspectives, veteran's services and the sights and sounds of the Holy Land. The trips are secular and veterans from all services and all backgrounds are welcome to apply.

There are five areas that are explored during each journey: 1) Education on living with terrorism and understanding how important the fight is to keep terrorism from our borders. 2) Exploration of holy sites, whether Christian or Jewish, and the opportunity to experience religion and find spirituality where it all began. 3) Visitation of Israeli facilities available to disabled veterans as well as learning from Israeli activist veterans how they were able to turn their dreams into reality. 4) Meetings with disabled Israeli veterans who have become business leaders. Our veterans will get advice on turning their military service skills into marketable private sector experience. 5) Forging relationships with their American and Israeli peers - creating a new unit that is built on support and post-war experiences.

Why Israel? Israel has a warmer environment for their service-disabled veterans, Israel and the US are not only allies in the war against terrorism, there is also a strong ties between both countries.

For additional information on Heroes to Heroes Foundation, visit www.heroestoheroes.org.

This is just one of the many guests invited by the Rotary Club of Teaneck to speak at their weekly lunch meetings. 

To see more of what Teaneck Rotary is all about, visit www.TeaneckRotary.com or come to any of the Rotary luncheons. The Rotary Club of Teaneck meets every Wednesday at 12 noon at Vitale’s, 293 Queen Anne Rd., Teaneck. All are welcome. Only cost is for lunch. Kosher meals can be provided with advance notice. If you would like additional information on the Rotary Club of Teaneck including membership, programs and events, please contact TeaneckRotary@gmail.com or visit www.TeaneckRotary.com.