Blue Light Family Foundation
MISSION
Our mission is to, through immediate financial assistance, ease some of the stress and burdens experienced by First Responders and their Families after a traumatic on-duty injury. The Blue Light Family Foundation’s goal is to assist First Responders and their Families within 48 hours of a traumatic on-duty injury. As First Responder supporters, we recognize t
hat there are many outstanding charities that currently provide financial and other assistance to First Responders upon death or after an injury when all other insurance or financial options have expired. Our intent is not to duplicate their extraordinary efforts or divert any funds from their well established campaigns. We recognized a gap in the need to get financial assistance to affected First Responders and their Families immediately after a traumatic on-duty injury. We believe providing this financial assistance in the first 48 hours, will grant the affected First Responders and their Families some peace of mind and relief for immediate term needs; missed secondary shifts, inability to work overtime, unexpected daycare costs, travel and transportation, hotel costs, food, specialized medical services, mental health and counseling services, etc…
We believe that providing First Responders and their Families some immediate term financial relief will allow them to focus on the critically important tasks of healing, mentally and physically, without the distraction of immediate and near-term financial stressors. At Blue Light Family Foundation, we capitalize the words First Responders and First Responder Family because we recognize them as hard-earned titles of honor and distinction. Louis Police Officers were shot on the same day. That event spurred a conversation between two former St. Louis Police Officers and a former Police spouse about the need to provide assistance to injured First Responders and their Families in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic on-duty injury. Since that event, several other Police Officers have been shot, and other first responders injured. The recent escalation of risk to first responders, compounded by the trying conditions of operating in a pandemic environment, accelerated the efforts to organize Blue Light Family Foundation. Blue Light Family Foundation incorporated as a not-for-profit in November of 2020 and filed for 501(c)(3) status with the U.S. Application pending. BOARD MEMBERS
Co-Chair and Treasurer, Marcy Naeger, has been part of the First Responders Family for over 25 years. She knows first-hand the stresses associated with being married to a First Responder. She has experienced both the good and the bad that come with that honor and responsibility. Marcy appreciates the benefits of belonging to the extended First Responder Family and helped create Blue Light Family Foundation as a means of giving back to that Family. Marcy’s focus is on helping First Responder’s significant others, children and immediate Family members during what will be one of the most stressful times of their lives; the first 48 hours after a traumatic on-duty injury. Marcy is the wife of a retired Law Enforcement Officer and is a sister, "mother" and friend to many retired and active duty First Responders. She is the proud mother of 6 children and is a Realtor with a locally owned and operated firm. Secretary and Fundraising Chairman, Dan Schulte was a Police Officer with the SLMPD for over 20 years. Dan has been a prolific fundraiser for law enforcement and first responders for well over two decades. He has consistently raised funds, solicited donations and donated his free time to charitable first responder causes. After retirement, Dan was searching for a mechanism to re-engage with those fundraising efforts and to remain a strong supporter of his First Responder Family. Dan is currently the Assistant Dean of Students and Head of Security for his alma mater, St. Louis University High School (’93). Co-Chair Brian Naeger was a Police Officer with the SLMPD for over 24 years. He understands the stresses that down-time puts on a First Responder who has bills to pay and a family to feed. After his retirement from law enforcement, Brian was looking for an opportunity to assist his many friends and extended family who remain on the front lines of law enforcement, fire service and emergency medical services. Brian is currently the VP of a security and human resources consulting firm that employs off-duty First Responders.
