When Kari and Matt Hilliard flew in to Mid-Missouri from their Florida home for a Hunting For Heroes weekend, they were both excited and nervous.
Matt already had met several fellow emergency responders who have had life-changing events or illnesses through Hunting For Heroes via social media.
So they looked forward to meeting some of these people in person. But, with his own health concerns, they also were concerned for his well-being.
They were put at ease when they arrived at the Centertown farm for the weekend, Kari said.
After Matt had experienced a series of seizures there, Kari said she was overwhelmed by the offers of support extended by the Hunting For Heroes volunteers coming from EMS, fire and law enforcement services.
"We're used to it being me and him; this is just our life," Kari said. "It was comforting; you could let your guard down.
"That was a first for me."
The program supports spouses and children as much as the wounded officer.
"It wasn't just a hunt; there was a camaraderie of other people who have gone through similar situations," she said. "Here, we understand each other's struggles and can share advice.
"The hunt was just to get you here."
Matt and Kari have been married three years. He served five years as a deputy sheriff, and she is a state trooper. He suffers from PTSD, seizures and liver disease.
"This is a program I believe in a lot," said Monica Bowman, outreach director.
The organization hosts fundraising banquets across the nation to support the cost-free weekends for wounded emergency personnel. One hunt weekend could cost up to $25,000.
Fire, police or medical service officers from as far as Pennsylvania, Utah, even Canada, have come to Missouri, where a farm or other wooded property is rented for the weekend.
The five-year-old not-for-profit will host its next banquet in Jefferson City July 16.
"I had lost hope," Kari said. "After meeting Hunting For Heroes, I'm changed. There is a brotherhood and they do care."
The Missouri-based, not-for-profit is the only one of its kind designed to serve non-military emergency service personnel. This holiday season, it was one of two organizations benefiting from a recent Operation Bugle Boy fundraiser.
Nearly $6,000 was split between Hunting For Heroes and the Missouri Children's Burn Camp. The two-month campaign sold 3,000 sets of wristbands of red for fire service, white for EMS and blue for law enforcement.
Missouri Children's Burn Camp, provided through the Burns Recovered Support Group, is a special summer camp for children who have experienced injuries from burns.
Campers experience a full week of adventures in a safe and supportive environment with others who have experienced the trauma of burn injuries. Since all children at this unique camp are survivors of burns, everyone has scars on the outside. Emphasis is focused on the beautiful person each is on the inside.
This is the first project Operation Bugle Boy has done specifically to support local emergency responders, said volunteer Sallie Jacobs. The project got a jump-start with a $1,000 donation from former state Sen. Carl Vogel, who has been a long-time supporter of the organization, which began following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
"This fits with Operation Bugle Boy; they're our first line of defense," Jacobs said. "Like San Bernadino, the police were there first and the fire and EMS followed and worked together.
"We wanted to recognize them and let them know we support them."