Healing Heroes Network
Professional services
UnclaimedA U.S. nonprofit that provided financial, medical, therapeutic, and practical assistance to veterans wounded or affected by service in Iraq or Afghanistan after September 11, 2001.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Healing Heroes Network was an American veterans-support nonprofit established to assist service members and veterans whose needs were not fully met by Department of Veterans Affairs or other government benefits. The organization focused particularly on people injured while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan on or after September 11, 2001, including veterans living with traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder. The organization was founded in 2008 and developed as a national charity headquartered in Palm Harbor, Florida. It received federal recognition as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization in 2009. Its stated role was to fill practical gaps in the public benefits system by helping wounded veterans obtain treatment, therapy, equipment, and short-term financial relief. Rather than operating primarily as a conventional consumer brand, Healing Heroes Network functioned as a fundraising and direct-assistance organization whose public identity was built around veteran recovery and reintegration. Its principal assistance model, known as the Healing Heroes Program, provided financial support for medical treatment and therapy services that were unavailable through the VA or other government agencies. The network also worked with medical professionals who supplied care and therapy to wounded veterans. This approach addressed both clinical and financial barriers: beneficiaries could receive help with treatment costs while the organization coordinated access to practitioners. The Welcome Home, Hero Program extended the organization’s work into immediate household assistance. Introduced with support from a community grant from the Mike Alstott Family Foundation, the program offered short-term financial help to wounded veterans and their families for basic needs. The grant was awarded in late 2012 following a Facebook voting contest, linking the program’s launch to a social-media-driven community fundraising and engagement effort. Healing Heroes Network also operated Tablets For Heroes. This initiative distributed free tablet computers to veterans who had served in Iraq or Afghanistan and had traumatic brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder. The devices were supplied with applications intended to support hand-eye coordination, spatial skills, and cognitive development. They also served ordinary administrative and social purposes, including communication, job searches, medical appointment scheduling, and contact with family and friends. The program therefore combined rehabilitation-related tools with digital access. Fundraising was a prominent part of the organization’s public activity. Between 2011 and 2016 it ran motorcycle and outdoor-equipment sweepstakes under names including Harleys for Heroes, Get The Bikes, and Outdoors for Heroes. These campaigns offered motorcycles or recreational equipment as prizes while soliciting donations and public attention for the organization’s veteran-support mission. Healing Heroes Freedom Fest, held in 2013 and 2014 at the Sun ’n Fun grounds near Lakeland Linder International Airport in Florida, was another fundraising event. The organization also promoted its mission at the Big Bay Beer Fest in the Tampa area, where a silent auction benefited wounded veterans. Publicly available tax information cited in reference material shows that the organization reported substantial revenue in 2012, 2013, and 2014. The same material raised questions about the share of revenue classified as program-service spending and the amounts associated with advertising, promotion, compensation, and salaries. Those figures became part of the public discussion surrounding the charity’s efficiency and transparency. The available material does not establish the organization’s current operating status, later program activity, or whether it remains active under the same name.
History
Healing Heroes Network was founded in 2008 in Palm Harbor, Florida, as a national charity serving wounded veterans. Its formation was associated with the need to address post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and other consequences of military service that could leave beneficiaries with treatment, rehabilitation, or household needs beyond the assistance available through existing government programs. The organization obtained official 501(c)(3) status in 2009. The nonprofit’s work centered on veterans injured during service in Iraq or Afghanistan on or after September 11, 2001. Its principal Healing Heroes Program offered financial help for medical treatment and therapy not provided by the VA or other government agencies. The network also worked with medical professionals who supplied care and therapeutic services. This gave the organization a hybrid role: it raised funds from the public while directing assistance toward treatment and recovery. A second strand of work addressed daily living and family stability. The Welcome Home, Hero Program provided short-term financial assistance for basic needs. In late 2012, the program received a community grant from the Mike Alstott Family Foundation after a Facebook voting contest. Tablets For Heroes supplied free tablet computers to eligible veterans with traumatic brain injuries or post-traumatic stress disorder. The devices included applications intended to support cognitive development, spatial skills, and hand-eye coordination, while also helping recipients communicate, seek employment, manage medical appointments, and remain connected with relatives. From 2011 onward, fundraising became highly visible through prize-based campaigns. The Harleys for Heroes Sweepstakes offered two Harley-Davidson motorcycles and fuel as prizes in its 2011 and 2012 editions. In 2013 the campaign was renamed Get The Bikes, with multiple motorcycle winners. The series continued in 2014, 2015, and 2016. The organization also ran the Outdoors for Heroes Sweepstakes, which offered a Polaris recreational vehicle. These activities used aspirational prizes to attract donations and public engagement around the veteran-support mission. The organization supplemented sweepstakes with live events. Healing Heroes Freedom Fest was held in 2013 and 2014 at the Sun ’n Fun grounds at Lakeland Linder International Airport in Lakeland, Florida. Healing Heroes Network also promoted its mission at the Tampa-area Big Bay Beer Fest, where a silent auction was described as benefiting wounded veterans. Tax information cited in reference material records reported revenue of $1,661,079 in 2012, $2,544,356 in 2013, and $2,645,183 in 2014. The same material compares those totals with reported program-service expenses and highlights spending on advertising, promotion, compensation, and salaries. This generated criticism about the organization’s allocation of funds and became a significant public issue associated with its history. The available reference material does not provide reliable information about later leadership, subsequent filings, a formal closure, or current operations; the organization’s present status is therefore recorded as unknown.
- 2016
Sixth documented Get The Bikes campaign
[1]The 2016 campaign offered two Harley-Davidson motorcycles and fuel, with the sweepstakes scheduled to run into 2017.
- 2013
Harleys for Heroes becomes Get The Bikes
[1]The motorcycle sweepstakes was rebranded and expanded to award motorcycles to three winners.
- 2013
Healing Heroes Freedom Fest begins
[1]The organization held the first of the documented Freedom Fest fundraising events at the Sun ’n Fun grounds in Lakeland, Florida.
- 2012
Welcome Home, Hero receives community grant
[1]A grant from the Mike Alstott Family Foundation supported short-term financial assistance for wounded veterans and their families.
- 2011
First Harleys for Heroes sweepstakes
[1]Healing Heroes Network launched a motorcycle fundraising sweepstakes offering two Harley-Davidson motorcycles and a year of fuel.
- 2009
Receives 501(c)(3) status
[1]The organization received official federal tax-exempt nonprofit recognition.
- 2008
Organization founded
[1]Healing Heroes Network was established as a national charity in Palm Harbor, Florida, to support wounded veterans and address gaps in available benefits.
Products and positioning
Veterans' support organization focused on filling treatment, rehabilitation, technology, and short-term financial gaps for wounded post-9/11 veterans and their families.
Medical and therapy assistance
Healing Heroes Program
The organization’s core assistance program helped wounded veterans obtain medical treatment and therapy services that were not available through the VA or other government agencies. Healing Heroes Network worked with medical professionals to connect beneficiaries with care and therapeutic support.
Short-term financial assistance · 2012
Welcome Home, Hero Program
This program provided temporary financial help to wounded veterans and their families for basic needs. It received a community grant from the Mike Alstott Family Foundation in late 2012 following a Facebook voting contest.
Assistive technology
Tablets For Heroes
Tablets For Heroes distributed free tablet computers to eligible veterans who had served in Iraq or Afghanistan and experienced traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder. Preloaded applications were intended to support cognitive and spatial skills, while ordinary tablet functions supported communication, employment searches, appointment scheduling, and family contact.
Fundraising campaign · 2013
Get The Bikes Sweepstakes
A recurring fundraising sweepstakes that offered Harley-Davidson motorcycles as prizes. It followed the earlier Harleys for Heroes campaigns and ran in documented editions from 2013 through 2016.
Fundraising campaign · 2013
Outdoors for Heroes Sweepstakes
A prize-based fundraising campaign conducted from November 2013 to May 2014. The documented prize was a Polaris RZR XP 1000.
Controversies
2015
Criticism of fundraising and program-spending allocation
Figures cited from the organization’s 2012–2014 Form 990 filings were used to question how much reported revenue reached program services compared with advertising, promotion, compensation, and salaries. The available reference does not establish a regulatory finding, court judgment, or criminal wrongdoing.
Marketing campaigns
- 20152015 Get The Bikes Sweepstakes
United States
The campaign ran from June 1, 2015, into January 2016 and offered two Harley-Davidson motorcycles and a year of fuel.
Outcome. Diana M. of Kentucky was documented as the winner.
- 20142014 Get The Bikes Sweepstakes
United States
The motorcycle fundraising campaign ran from July 1 through December 30, 2014.
Outcome. Joseph M. of Liverpool, Ohio, was documented as winning two Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
- 2013Get The Bikes Sweepstakes
United States
The rebranded motorcycle campaign offered three Harley-Davidson motorcycles, including a Street Glide, Heritage Softail, and Softail Slim.
Outcome. The documented winners included Frank A. of Watervliet, New York; June M. of Texarkana, Texas; and Michael L. of Siloam Springs, Arkansas.
- 2013Outdoors for Heroes Sweepstakes
United States
A fundraising sweepstakes ran from November 6, 2013, through May 6, 2014, replacing the motorcycle-centered prize with outdoor recreational equipment.
Outcome. Michael W. of Port St. Lucie, Florida, was documented as the winner of a Polaris RZR XP 1000.
- 2013Healing Heroes Freedom Fest
Florida, United States
A fundraising event supporting the organization was held at the Sun ’n Fun grounds at Lakeland Linder International Airport in Lakeland, Florida.
Outcome. The event was also documented in 2014, but later continuation is not established by the available material.
- 20122012 Harleys for Heroes Sweepstakes
United States
The second documented edition offered a 2012 Street Glide, a 2012 Fat Boy Lo, and a year of gasoline.
Outcome. Tom DeVries of Waterloo, Iowa, was announced as the winner.
- 2011Harleys for Heroes Sweepstakes
United States
Participants donated for opportunities to win a 2011 Harley-Davidson Fat Boy Lo, a 2011 Street Glide, and one year of gasoline. The drawing took place in December 2011.
Outcome. Valerie Snider of Indianapolis, Indiana, was announced as the winner.
Brand decisions
2013
Rebrand the motorcycle fundraiser as Get The BikesStrategyBackground
After two Harleys for Heroes campaigns, the organization continued its prize-based fundraising model under a new name.
Action taken
Healing Heroes Network launched the Get The Bikes Sweepstakes and changed the prize structure to three motorcycle winners in the documented 2013 edition.
Aftermath
The Get The Bikes name was used again in documented campaigns in 2014, 2015, and 2016.
Sources1 sources
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