Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Judy Elias. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Judy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

I had two defining moments in my life that came together to bring me where I am today.

My father was a proud WWII veteran. He landed second day Normandy, fought in the battle of the bulge, liberated a concentration camp, and, emotionally, never came home. I have one memory of a smile and a laugh. Mostly, he worked hard and lived with his demons.

Life was a challenge for me. My family was extremely dysfunctional and I felt alone. As a teen, I reacted by leaving my home, spending time with friends, skipping school, and getting involved with recreational drugs and alcohol. I was on a path to self-destruction.

My father offered me the opportunity to go to Israel on a teen pilgrimage. I was afraid to go since I had walked away from my faith and pushed God out of my life. My father asked that take the journey for him. Due to my love and respect for him, I would not refuse.

During this journey to Israel we visited the Western Wall. I felt that I should not go but friends would not let me back out. When I put my hand on the Wall, I felt as if my entire life came together. Starting with that moment, I knew I wasn’t alone, that I had a mission and a purpose. I needed to find out what that mission was.

I returned home and began to get more involved in my faith. By the time my children were born, my life revolved around my faith and connection to God.

In 2009, I was invited to visit our soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC. What I saw horrified me. Our soldiers, wounded horrifically in battle, did not want to be home. They wanted to go back and finish the job. Their sadness overcame me. My heart broke and I knew I needed to do something.

I began to volunteer for veterans organizations but was not satisfied with what I saw. The suicide rate among our veterans was 22 per day – and still hovers around that number. With thousands of organizations and the VA working on the problem, why is there no relief?

I studied suicide and, after digging deep into the research, two basic needs popped up – faith and belonging. The research showed me that, if a person has a connection to faith and to a group, he or she is significantly less likely to commit suicide. People who are connected to their faith are over 45% less likely to commit suicide than the general population.

After finding this information, I thought back on my experience in Israel, the Holy Land. Would it work for our veterans, no matter their faith? If they could experience their faith where it all began, would they choose life?

In March 2010, Heroes To Heroes was born.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Starting a nonprofit was the last thing on my mind. I was a successful broadcast sales professional, enjoying a carefree American life. My transistion started when I accepted an invitation to visit our soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. As the child, niece, and grandchild of US Army veterans, I had to do something.

After learning about the 22 per-day suicide rate among our veterans, I knew I had to do something. Always the student, I began to study the why’s of suicide. Two things kept popping out at me – faith and belonging. I remembered my sixteen-year-old self and how I was taken from self-destruction to reconnection. It all made sense…if I provide that faith journey to veterans who suffer from suicidal ideation, would they have the same outcome I did…and choose life?

Heroes To Heroes was born. In March 2010 I began my transition from the media business to nonprofit leader. On September 11, 2011, the first team of veterans took their journey to Israel. It began what continues to be one of the most effective life-saving programs in the veterans community.

HTH provides a 12-month values-based journey that takes our veterans from suicidal ideation to community reintegration. Working in teams of 5 and coached by a trained HTH alum, each team meets twice per month and follows a curriculum that begins by helping them identify values and mission. The objective of the first part of the program is to help them live a fulfilling life, mapping out each day to develop a plan.

HTH moves into spirituality during the second phase of the program. This phase is kicked off with a 10-day journey to Israel where veterans of all faiths explore their faith where it all began. Each veteran works on their relationship to God, helping them understand that they can have that relationship, in spite of what happened during war. The program in Israel focuses on finding forgiveness and accepting that forgiveness. The next few months of team meetings help the veterans process that 10-day journey and put a spiritual plan into action.

The final phase is ‘Rewire’ and Community Reintegration. Many relationships have been destroyed since their return from deployment. Part of the emotional return home is repairing those relationships. This phase focuses on the most important relationships and gives veterans tools to repair them. This can be the most difficult part of the process since it involves taking risks and being vulnerable.

Veterans leave the HTH program with a healed soul, a mission, and the tools to live a fulfilled life.

The HTH program is different from anything we have seen. We heal veterans’ souls and have a formula that works with veterans of all faiths. Our program is tough but the work put in makes a tremendous difference in the lives of those we serve.

For the past eight years, Dr. Joseph Currier and his team at the University of South Alabama have been conducting an independent outcomes study. The first study, published in 2023, shows that the HTH program is one of the most effective programs ever developed for combatting moral injury. I am very proud of this. HTH was built on gut instinct, life experience, and research. Having this much success, documented by someone who is top in the field, is one of the proudest moments of my career.

How’d you build such a strong reputation within your market?

In the nonprofit world, there are many players who go in and out of business. 90% of nonprofits fail within five years. I knew I had to have staying power. That requires defining values, mission, and beliefs.

For the past fifteen years, I have focused on living the values, mission, and beliefs of HTH. The people I hire must have passion and love for the organization. Most of our employees are alumni of the program. The program saved their lives and they want to pay it forward.

People who work with HTH know what we believe. We are careful who we partner with. For example, many veterans struggle with alcohol. We do not partner with organizations who either provide or make alcohol available to their participants. We also have a strict policy against medical marijuana. A person who is ‘high’ is numb to their feelings. Our organization focuses on feelings. The program will not work for someone wanting to feel numb.

Based on the above, people understand who I am and that I am serious about saving lives. This is not a hobby. It is a calling. I left the world of ‘money’ to make a difference. I take that seriously. People trust and appreciate me for this.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I was at a crossroads. HTH was getting too big. My full time job that was funding my life was getting in the way. My boss gave me an ultimatum between the two…if I traveled to Israel one more time, he would consider me to have quit my job.

It was terrifying. I had to make the choice. I consulted with my closest advisors. Those who are entrepreneurs said “Go for it!” Others told me to slow the growth of the organization. I had just gone through a divorce and wondered if I was ‘supposed to’ make decisions like this in the first year of such a transition.

Being me, I went for it. Why not make all the changes at once??

It was tough. I had to raise enough funds to cover the program and my income. I good an income hit and had to learn to live on much less. It was the first financial risk I took in my life – jumping without a safety net.

I had to learn to be a better fundraiser, to hone my skills, and take chances. Some experiments worked and many did not. The ups and downs were painful. There were many days I wanted to quit.

I learned to trust in God. I had to do the work but I wasn’t alone. I was putting His message out there. I needed to get closer myself. In the past few years I have worked on building my faith in God and the organization has grown. Opportunities have developed in places I had never imagined. Some of my advisors are people I would never have imagined meeting, nevertheless, text with.

For fifteen years I have toiled to take the organization from $100 to millions. Covid, the war(s) in Israel, inflation, and political strife and come and go. Saving lives must continue.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.heroestoheroes.org
• Instagram: heroes.to.heroes
• Facebook: Heroes To Heroes Foundation
• Twitter: @heroestoheroes