While out riding, I met Hero Firefighters, Jennifer, Chris and Joe as they arrived at the Administration building in Boulder. They were nice to take the time to talk with me about all the services the Boulder Fire Department performs. Boulder’s Firefighters do a lot more than fight fires.  Every Firefighter is a state certified Emergency Medical Technician. Every engine crew is equipped with, and trained to operate, a Cardiac Defibrillator. They are prepared to; deal with flooding in a business or house; extricate someone from a vehicle accident; rescue people from a stalled elevator or a collapsed trench; effectively deal with carbon monoxide alarms or tree branches on power lines. Many of Boulder’s Firefighters have advanced training in dive rescue, hazardous material spills, wildland fire fighting, or fire safety education.
This town is filled with families visiting for graduation tomorrow, there is no room at the inn, so to speak. I love the crowded streets and sidewalks. Information about The Kindness Bicycle Ride for Heroes spread in a big way today.

It is graduation week in Boulder and families from across the United States and beyond have descended on this town by the thousands. I headed to the University of Colorado at Boulder which was a great place to take The Kindness Bicycle Ride for Heroes today, as many of those families were walking the grounds. This is my favorite type of captive audience, families from everywhere, viewing the signs on The Kindness Bicycle and creating conversation that doesn’t occur often enough in most families. The Kindness Bus had a great, all day parking spot in a high pedestrian count area of town. This was a great day of conversations with hundreds of groups.
A big thank you to Vinnie for his great photos and donation as I was packing up The Kindness Bus.

Last fall I spent more than a month in Boulder as I was heading west on my 7,400 mile ride. This visit, I will spend only a week in this town and then another week in Colorado Springs before I move quickly east to New York City. While in the Big Apple for the entire summer, I will visit all Firehouses, all Police Precincts and Veteran’s facilities in the five boroughs. This will be almost 300 stops in a three month period. The Kindness Bicycle Ride for Heroes will culminate the 4,000 mile ride to Ground Zero. I can think of no better way to honor these Heroes.

Cathy Cabrey and Stacy Toner started out with Fisher House in 2006 as volunteers with no prior fundraising or event-planning experience.  By asking a lot of questions, attending webinars and utilizing the ideas and suggestions of team members, and with a lot of support from the Foundation, Team Fisher House has become the program it is today.
As the program grows each year and by always remembering their humble beginnings, they make sure every fundraiser and every donation made through the program, regardless of size, is truly appreciated.
This grassroots fundraising concept allow these two military spouses, who live unpredictable lives in ever-changing locations, to give Foundation supporters the tools and resources they need to raise funds and awareness for an amazing organization.
These two very dedicated individuals have a wonderful website which makes it very easy to volunteer, have a fundraiser or help an individual Fisher House or the Foundation nationally.
Visit their website to get involved in any way you wish. www.teamfisherhouse.org

The aim of all groups here at the Warrior Games is to comfort those who have put their lives in harm’s way to protect our liberties and freedom. There are so many ways to help these Wounded Warriors, but far and away the most important way is by thanking and comforting. Coming back stateside to a lifestyle which at first is vastly different, it is so important to make the transition as smooth as possible. Counseling services are imperative to aid in the short and long term recovery. The pressures of coming back to a mountain of bills and housing concerns, are addressed by many nonprofits. Just helping to work through the morass of paperwork and keeping abreast of all the programs available to these Heroes is a godsend. The need is great in so many ways and any expertise you may have in helping those who have helped us, without asking for anything in return would be a huge act of kindness. Visit www.va.gov for volunteer opportunities.

The Fisher House program is a unique private-public partnership that supports America’s military in their time of need. The program recognizes the special sacrifices of our men and women in uniform and the hardships of military service by meeting a humanitarian need beyond that normally provided by the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
Because members of the military and their families are stationed worldwide and must often travel great distances for specialized medical care, Fisher House Foundation donates “comfort homes,” built on the grounds of major military and VA medical centers. These homes enable family members to be close to a loved one at the most stressful times – during the hospitalization for an unexpected illness, disease, or injury.
There is at least one Fisher House at every major military medical center to assist families in need and to ensure that they are provided with the comforts of home in a supportive environment. Annually, the Fisher House program serves more than 17,000 families, and have made available nearly 3 million days of lodging to family members since the program originated in 1990. By law, there is no charge for any family to stay at a Fisher House operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs; and Fisher House Foundation uses donations to reimburse the individual Fisher Houses operated by the Army, Navy, and Air Force. No family pays to stay at any Fisher House!
***The information above was provided by The Fisher House website.
www.fisherhouse.org