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ROSWELL, Ga. — When a Roswell firefighter’s family found themselves sleeping in hospital waiting rooms after his son was badly hurt in a bicycle accident, a local nonprofit stepped in to cover their hotel bills so they could stay close to the boy’s bedside.
That family was one of more than 15 that the Roswell First Responders Foundation has assisted since the organization was formally established in 2023, part of a broader mission to fill financial and material gaps that city budgets don’t cover for police officers, firefighters and paramedics.
The foundation, known as RFRF, was founded by Michael and Roxie Hernandez, who began the effort informally two decades earlier. Since 2002, the couple has served free meals to Roswell first responders during the week of Sept. 11 each year, a tradition that eventually grew into a full nonprofit. RFRF received its 501(c)(3) status in 2023 and awarded its first grant the following year.
Since then, the all-volunteer group has raised more than $100,000, hosted more than 15 community events, and drawn upward of 200 volunteers, according to figures posted on the foundation’s website. Its work centers on three areas: financial assistance for first responders and their families during hardship, recognition programs honoring officers and firefighters for bravery or service, and funding for equipment and training that fall outside department budgets.
Roswell Fire/Rescue Battalion Chief David S. Rogers credited the foundation with easing his family’s financial strain during his son’s medical crisis, writing in a letter shared by RFRF that the support let them focus on the child’s recovery rather than the cost of lodging near the hospital.
The foundation funds its work through community fundraisers rather than large institutional grants. Its calendar includes the Hometown Heroes fundraiser at a local brewery and steakhouse, the Roswell Youth Day Parade and the Kiwanis Chili Cook-Off, along with sponsorships from area businesses including a bank, an auto dealership and a guitar shop. The group also runs a “Hire a Hero” initiative that encourages residents to patronize side businesses owned by first responders.
RFRF’s model mirrors a national pattern of grassroots nonprofits emerging to support public safety workers as departments face persistent funding gaps. Organizations such as the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation, the First Responders Children’s Foundation and the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation provide scholarships, mortgage assistance and death benefits to families of officers and firefighters killed or disabled in the line of duty. The Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation and the Leary Firefighters Foundation focus on outfitting departments with equipment, from bunker gear and thermal imaging cameras to defibrillators, that isn’t always covered by municipal budgets.
Smaller, community-based foundations often serve a more immediate purpose: bridging the time between a tragedy and when official benefits arrive. The Front Line Foundation, a Minnesota nonprofit that supports law enforcement, firefighters and EMTs statewide, was created for that reason, granting emergency funds to families of first responders killed in the line of duty while formal survivor benefits are processed. Sheriff James Stuart, a board member of that foundation, has said the assistance also gives grieving families reassurance that their community hasn’t forgotten them.
National data suggest the need for that kind of support extends well beyond finances. The Gary Sinise Foundation, which runs a first-responder support program, cites Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration research showing roughly 30% of first responders develop behavioral health conditions such as depression or post-traumatic stress, linked to repeated exposure to trauma on the job. The foundation notes that many first responders are reluctant to seek help and that government programs alone haven’t closed the gap in resources available to them and their families.
Roswell’s public safety departments have earned national recognition. The Roswell Fire Department received the 2025 Senator Paul S. Sarbanes Fire Service Safety Leadership Award, an honor RFRF cites as evidence of the caliber of the personnel it supports.
The foundation also supports local remembrance efforts, from flag-folding ceremonies honoring fallen officers to the state’s dedication of the Officer Jeremy Labonte Memorial Interchange, named for a Roswell police officer. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has appeared alongside Roswell police and fire command staff at foundation-linked community gatherings, underscoring the visibility the young nonprofit has built in a relatively short time.
RFRF describes itself as committed to full transparency, saying on its website that 100% of donations go directly toward supporting first responders and their families, with administrative costs covered separately through sponsorships. IRS filings show the foundation reported about $54,700 in revenue and an operating budget of roughly $20,000 in 2024, reflecting its early-stage, volunteer-run structure.
The foundation is based at 885 Woodstock Road in Roswell and continues to seek sponsors and volunteers as it plans its next round of community events, including the Roswell Youth Day Parade in October.
