A Safety Net with No Strings Attached
The BackStoppers® provides immediate and ongoing needed financial assistance to families of fallen and catastrophically injured public safety officers.
Who We Help
Eligible public safety officers are police officers, firefighters and volunteer firefighters, and publicly-funded paramedics and EMTs who were killed, catastrophically injured, or suffered a fatal medical event in the line of duty in 28 counties in Missouri and Illinois. Families assisted include the hero’s surviving spouse and dependent children.
How We Help Families of Fallen Heroes
- Eliminate the surviving family’s debt
- Provide medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage
- Reimburse for out-of-pocket medical expenses
- Cover tuition and educational costs from day care through university
- Pay home insurance, real estate taxes, and property taxes
- Assist with unforeseen extraordinary expenses
How We Help Families of Catastrophically Injured Heroes
- Provide financial assistance up to $150,000 directly to the family
- Provide medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage as needed
- Reimburse for out-of-pocket medical expenses as needed
- Cover tuition and educational costs from day care through university as needed
Our Assistance
- Currently supports approximately 100 families with approximately 75 dependent children
- Supported over 200 families since 1959
- Provided roughly $3 million in assistance annually over the last three years
Rapid Response, Ongoing Support
Our assistance is immediate and ongoing. Upon a line-of-duty death or catastrophic injury, we step up with a payment of assistance and assurance of further help.
Next, we make each surviving spouse debt-free and begin lifelong support. We provide for the injured hero’s needs following their injury and well into the future, caring for them for the rest of their lives. Our assistance for dependent children continues with them until they reach independent adulthood.
Our Philosophy is Simple
The BackStoppers recognizes the tremendous sacrifices public servants make every day when they go to work. We understand the burdens placed on families of fallen and catastrophically injured heroes. We believe our community has an obligation to care for the loved ones of those who have protected us. We accept the responsibility to make that happen.
General Information
The BackStoppers is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization, federal Tax ID number is 43-6032561. Qualification for the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) Program or any like benefits shall not automatically qualify a fallen or catastrophically injured hero for assistance.
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Become a BackStopper and ensure ongoing support for the families we serve.