My Nonprofit Reviews

My name is Sarah Hartmann and my mom (Peggy Baker) is the Founder/President/CEO of Operation First Response, Inc., (OFR). My mom started OFR back in 2004 after my oldest brother joined the military after 9/11 and ever since that day it has changed our lives.

I started volunteering for my mom when I was 11 year old along with my best friend (Crystal Krueger) who is now the Executive Office Assistance and works side by side with us every day to help our Nation's Heroes.

Now back in the beginning when all of the wounded were coming into Walter Reed Army Medical Center, we would visit the hospital and the Mologne House every weekend to be with our wounded service men and women and their families to make sure that they had everything they needed during their recovery period and time that they were there. I knew from the first time I stepped into that hospital setting with our Nation's Heroes that I was walking into where my family was. I truly consider them all to be my brothers and sisters and that will never change, but I never truly understood what our Military and First Responders truly went through until I was older, around 17 years old, and started working for my mom full time.

I have now been a case manager and the executive office manager for the past 13 years and I have to tell you that it has been the greatest honor serving our brave men and women who have and still are putting their lives on the line every single day for our Country and our Communities.

I have watched my mom over the past 20 years and I am just in awe of who she is and how she has always made sure to keep OFR exactly what she envisioned it to be from the beginning. She never lost sight of the mission of being there for these families. For those who protect us! She is called mom by everyone she meets and I truly feel that she is an angel on earth.

She makes sure that anyone who calls us or contacts us is always treated with the upmost respect and compassion, because they are truly the best of us! I have met a lot of nonprofits over the years and I have never been more proud of Operation First Response. The name, in my opinion, says it all because we are always the first called on to put the "fire" out so, that we then we can direct them to organizations that will help them to stay on track financially to be able to have a stable and wonderful life.

Over the past 20 years, we have become so close with the families we have served, and it is truly the most magical and beautiful thing to watch and experience! Through OFR, I have been able to be there when they first called on us for help, stayed with them throughout their hardship, and then was able to watch them grow and become productive members of our society. I get to see behind the scenes on what these families go through each and every day and it just makes me want to help them even more! It also shows me what I want my future career to be, which is an EMT & Paramedic. I not only want to be by their side during difficult times, but I also want to work side-by-side with these incredible Heroes.

The love and compassion that comes from Operation First Response is like nothing else I have ever experienced. It has helped me to become a better person and to also know how to handle extremely stressful situations in a way that helps take the pressure off of the Service Member, Veteran, or First Responder that we may be working with. We never want to cause any more stress for them when they call on us. We want them to know that when they reach out to OFR that they are in a safe place with people who truly care.

The Operation First Response Team far exceeds my expectations every single day and I am truly so honored, grateful, and blessed to be part of one of the most amazing nonprofit organizations out there.

This organization shows the true meaning of what a non-profit is supposed to be! Their amazing team is made up of the most generous and caring group of people that I have ever had the honor of meeting. They don't treat you as just a number, they treat you like an individual that matters. They make it easy for all Veterans to ask for help because they do not put them down, they show full compassion and understanding. If you look at their financials they give 97% of every dollar that gets donated to the brave men and women who serve our country! They are in my eyes the absolute number one organization that supports our nation's Heroes!