The 20th anniversary season of HEROS is receiving a lot of recognition in our HEROS community but another anniversary happened this August: the 12th season of HEROS International. Many partners help keep the international program in Belfast running, and one of them is the Army Welfare Services (AWS) who has supported HEROS International for nearly a decade. Their influence extends beyond the military community, supporting initiatives to positively impact youth, from military and non-military backgrounds. Our contact at AWS serves as the point person for HEROS and commits a significant amount of time to planning the program each season. HEROS and AWS have formed a strong partnership over 10 years and we cannot thank them enough for their contributions to HEROS International.
During our recent visit to Belfast for our annual HEROS International camp, it was quite a surprise when British Army Brigadier for Northern Ireland, Jon Swift OBE, visited us on the final day. He spoke about the importance of teamwork, shared goals, and aiming to be all you can be. He presented our founder, Norm Flynn, with the Brigadier Generals Excellence Medallion recognizing HEROS 20th Anniversary season and our 12 years in Belfast. It was a surprise and a tremendous honour to receive this recognition.
In 2000 when HEROS first launched we couldn’t have imagined that we would be in Belfast, let alone that the British Army would be such a vital supporter of one of our programs. We are honoured and humbled to be able to work in Northern Ireland and help where we can to heal generational wounds, one child at a time.
