LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When a first responder falls in the line of duty, it's the goal of Louisville-based Supporting Heroes to be there as quickly as possible. Its mission is to care for the families they leave behind from Kentucky, to Indiana, and Missouri.
In recent years, the numbers have quadrupled, putting a strain not only on the organization, but also its promise.
Supporting Heroes' executive director, Eric Johnson, sits at a conference table surrounded by plaques, each engraved with the names of dozens of first responders and their end of watch.
"I can tell you a lot of the dates that they happened," Johnson said.
He's responded to them all, from fallen firefighters, to police, and EMS.
"I wish I could just reach up to the clock and turn back the hands of time to where the family will be made whole, and you know, the kids who have just been told that daddy's never coming home, that you could just erase that and go back to before the tragedy happened. And there's no way we can do that. But we can do our best to support them in their journey forward, which never ends," Johnson said.
Born in 2004, Supporting Heroes has worked to take as much of the burden away from survivors as possible.
"We immediately give them $5,000," Johnson said. "It's not going to change anybody's life. It's not going to change what happened. But we call it a down payment on a promise and it's our promise that we're going to be there to support them, not just today and tomorrow, and through the funeral, but for a period of time as we assist in getting the state and federal benefits."
One of the non-profit's biggest expenses happens when the group sends immediate family to the national memorial service the year their loved one's names are added - all expenses paid.
"We pay their airfare, and hotel, and we provide shuttle service while they're there," Johnson said.
There's the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend, in Emmitsburg, in May, followed by National Police Week, in Washington D.C., the next week. The National EMS Weekend of Honor, in Arlington, takes place every July.
"It's a very bittersweet event for the families," Johnson said. "It's very powerful as they can see and touch their loved one's name on the memorial. But it's also you know, very emotional and it's very difficult. And so it's important that they go, that they're present when the nation honors their loved one."
It's a trip the Longoria family could not afford on their own.
"If it wasn't for them, I don't think we would've been able to do that at all," Nicholas Longoria said.
Longoria lost his father, Richard Longoria, to COVID in September of 2021. His battle lasted just 2 weeks. The Radcliff resident spent 18 years as a corrections officer at Louisville Metro Department of Corrections (LMDC).
"For my father, it was much more than a job, much more than a career. It was his passion. He loved law enforcement," Longoria said. "From the time that we lost him all the way up until now, Supporting Heroes has been in our lives. They're like a family, a family we definitely needed at a time of loss."
Longoria and his two brothers attended Police Week last year.
"It was an amazing feeling, still thinking about it, I light up," he said. "The candle light vigil was a beautiful moment. The service was a beautiful moment. The president spoke. Just to know that anyone who ever passes through D.C., there's a little piece of our dad there at that memorial. It means a lot."
Longoria was one of 16 Kentuckians added to the police memorial last year. In addition to 8 names from Indiana and 10 from Missouri. That's 34 line of duty deaths on the police side alone.
"Before the pandemic we responded to an average of 17.5 line of duty deaths a year. That's police officers, firefighters, EMS workers," Johnson said.
When COVID hit, everything changed.
In 2020, line of duty deaths rose to 39 across the 3 states. Then in 2021, that number jumped to 69. Johnson says there was a 2 month span where they were losing a first responder about every 2 days.
"We just were just overwhelmed. We did what we could," Johnson said.
Last year, we lost 46 first responders, the majority not-COVID related.
"Keep in mind, we had the deadliest law enforcement event in the history of Kentucky on June 30," Johnson said. It was on that night, in Allen, Kentucky, a man opened fire on 7 officers, killing three of them, along with a police K-9.
"So it's gonna be a tough year," Johnson said.
The question is, how many of their families will get to experience their memorial service in person?
"We don't have the funds to do this year what we did last year," Johnson said.
He said, a normal year, before the pandemic, would cost them about $35,000 to 50,000. Last year, Supporting Heroes spent a record $167,000, and it anticipates that same need this year.
That's where you come in. Supporting Heroes just launched a fundraiser called Operation Enduring Honor. It's an online campaign, with a fundraising goal of $100,000, in an effort to make sure families who've paid the ultimate sacrifice pay nothing more.
"Your contribution will provide the necessary funding for travel and lodging so immediate family members can be present when our nation honors their hero. ANY amount will help us get closer to our goal. And, if you desire, you can designate your donation in someone's honor or memory."
►Contact reporter Brooke Hasch at bhasch@whas11.com. Follow her on Twitter (@WHAS11Hasch) and Facebook.
RELATED VIDEO