Hands Across the Bay is excited to introduce a new initiative prioritizing bay area first responders. Periodically, our organization will be holding empowerment group sessions aimed at targeting the day-to-day stressors that our local heroes face. We understand oftentimes, our first responders are forced to deal with disturbing and painful occurrences while on-duty. Studies have proven that the pressures of law enforcement put officers at risk for high blood pressure, insomnia, heart disease and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). As a result, we are offering our center as a gathering place for both active or retired first responders to feel safe and comfortable discussing their experiences in a confidential private setting. These empowerment sessions are led by former Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Corporal Manny Gonzalez, who also faced challenges of his own during his career.  

At these assemblies, each attendee is provided a catered meal along with a random act of kindness. Please help us spread this message to your troops, and feel free to reach out to our organization with any questions or concerns.