American Heroes supported through the work and programs connected to the organization.
SERVE
JOHNSON-BROWER FOUNDATION
SERVICE DIDN'T END WITH THE UNIFORM.
Jesse and Tara Johnson-Brower spent years helping veterans, military families, first responders, and other American Heroes find support when they needed it. What began personally grew into the Johnson-Brower Foundation.
Support also extended to military families and the people standing beside them.
Veteran, first responder, and family support programs were built around access, not a bill.
HOW IT STARTED
BEFORE THERE WAS AN ORGANIZATION, THERE WAS A PROMISE.
Jesse and Tara had already spent years helping veterans long before the work had a formal name.
They saw people struggling to understand benefits, find mental health support, navigate crisis, and connect with organizations that could actually help.
Instead of simply pointing people toward a phone number or website, they got involved.
That hands-on approach eventually became the Johnson-Brower Foundation.
JBF
JOHNSON-BROWER FOUNDATION
SERVICE · SUPPORT · REMEMBRANCE
THE EVOLUTION
THE NAME CHANGED. THE MISSION DIDN'T.
The organization evolved over time, but the people at the center of the mission remained the same: veterans, military families, first responders, and those who support them.
01
ORIGIN
Johnson-Brower Foundation
Jesse and Tara formalized years of personal veteran support into an organization focused on helping American Heroes and their families.
02
NEXT CHAPTER
VetGR
The organization expanded its veteran-focused work and became known publicly as VetGR.
03
EXPANSION
LifeGR
The work later expanded under the LifeGR name, serving military, veterans, first responders, and families.
WHO THE WORK WAS FOR
AMERICAN HEROES. AND THEIR FAMILIES.
Veterans & Military
Connecting veterans and service members to mental health resources, benefits, support organizations, and people who could help move them forward.
First Responders
The mission grew beyond the military community to include police, firefighters, EMTs, and other first responders dealing with trauma and stress.
Families
Service impacts more than the person wearing the uniform. Programs also recognized the spouses, partners, and family members carrying the weight beside them.
Remembrance
The organization also supported education, remembrance, and events built around honoring the people and sacrifices connected to September 11.
THE IMPACT
3,000+
AMERICAN HEROES SUPPORTED.
Across the Johnson-Brower Foundation, VetGR, and LifeGR chapters, the work reached thousands of service members, veterans, first responders, and families.
THE WORK
MORE THAN ONE KIND OF HELP.
The organization developed and supported different programs because trauma, family stress, and transition do not look the same for everyone.
Trauma Support
Counseling, mental health support, and longer-term programs designed for veterans, first responders, and people living with the effects of trauma.
SheWillStay
A program focused on wives and partners of veterans and first responders, recognizing that trauma affects the entire household.
Resource Navigation
Helping veterans understand what resources existed, who to contact, and how to reach the organizations or professionals that could actually help.
BUILT TOGETHER
JESSE & TARA JOHNSON-BROWER.
FOUNDER · LEADERSHIP
Jesse Johnson-Brower
Jesse brought the perspective of a soldier, veteran, 9/11 responder, and longtime advocate for other veterans. His approach was simple: get involved, find the right person, and help solve the problem.
PRESIDENT · LEADERSHIP
Tara Johnson-Brower
Tara helped build and lead the organization alongside Jesse, with a major focus on families, relationships, remembrance, and making sure the people supporting American Heroes were supported too.
9/11
REMEMBRANCE
SOME STORIES HAVE TO BE CARRIED.
September 11 remained deeply connected to the foundation's mission. Jesse's own experience at the Pentagon made remembrance personal, not ceremonial. Honor the lost. Support the living. Make sure the next generation remembers.
DOCUMENTED IN THE MEDIA
THE WORK MADE NEWS.
FOX 17 · 2018
VIEW COVERAGE ↗
The beginning of the foundation.
Local coverage of Jesse, Tara, and the early Johnson-Brower Foundation.
FOX 17 · VETERANS BENEFITS
VIEW COVERAGE ↗
Connecting veterans to resources.
Coverage of a veterans benefits fair and the effort to connect local veterans with support.
FOX 17 · 2019
VIEW COVERAGE ↗
Veterans and first responders together.
A benefit event highlighting the organization's work with both communities.
THE LEGACY
HELP PEOPLE. THEN KEEP SHOWING UP.
The Johnson-Brower Foundation was built around a principle that still defines Jesse's work today: when someone trusts you enough to ask for help, take it seriously.