On a sunny Sunday afternoon at Six Bridges Brewing, the atmosphere hummed with camaraderie and purpose. Police Lieutenant Beth Roberts and Fire Captain Aaron Roberts, both retiring after nearly two decades of service to Johns Creek, were being celebrated by their departments and community. But this wasn’t just a retirement party.
It was also a lifeline.
When the unexpected strikes
The event, held June 7, served a dual purpose: honoring the Roberts’ careers while raising funds for a member of the Johns Creek Fire Department who had recently suffered a medical event.
“He’s physically doing as well as he can be,” Aaron Roberts explained. “Mentally, though, there’s a lot of deficits that he’s having to work through.”
(THE CREEK chose not to name the individual due to medical privacy concerns.)
This is precisely where the Johns Creek Public Safety Foundation steps in. The 501(c)3 nonprofit, established in 2008, has quietly become the safety net for Johns Creek’s first responders and their families.
More than insurance coverage
David Rich, the president of the foundation, describes the organization’s mission with the precision of someone who has thought deeply about its purpose.
“We’re really more of what I would call an old-fashioned benevolence,” Rich said. “A fund that exists to support the firefighters and the policemen when something happens that is job-related or somehow affects their ability to do their job.”
The distinction matters. While insurance and disability benefits provide a baseline, they leave gaps — sometimes substantial ones. When a public safety officer is injured, the financial pressure can be crushing. Many officers work second or third jobs to make ends meet. A six-month recovery means losing not just 40 percent of primary income but all secondary income as well.
The foundation covers what insurance won’t: lawn care services for a hospitalized firefighter, meals for a family managing chemotherapy treatments, childcare while a spouse battles illness or simply the mortgage payment during months of recovery.
“We’re there to just help out in times of need,” Rich said. “The biggest thing is just to take the pressure and the worry off. Don’t worry about financial things. Get better.”
Santa Claus approach
Michael MacKendree, a Johns Creek firefighter, experienced the foundation’s impact firsthand. Six months ago, he suffered an off-duty injury requiring surgery.
“The foundation helped out for a few months, which really made a difference. It kind of just takes your mind off of financial worries.”, MacKendree explained.
He returned to duty recently, and while still completing physical therapy, he credits the foundation’s support with easing his recovery.
“It helps you heal,” he said simply, “because how can you heal if you’re stressed?”
This is the foundation’s quiet genius; it appears when needed most, like Santa Claus arriving exactly when the pressure becomes unbearable.
Beyond the individual
The foundation’s reach extends beyond individual officers to their families and to the broader community. When a Johns Creek firefighter or police officer is killed in the line of duty, the foundation mobilizes immediately. It has provided cemetery plots for fallen officers’ families, covered funeral expenses and sent condolences and support to neighboring jurisdictions when tragedy strikes.
But the foundation also celebrates and supports. It awards six scholarships annually — three to children of firefighters, three to children of police officers. It also sponsors Trunk or Treat, Johns Creek’s massive Halloween event that draws over 8,000 children annually, with firefighters and police competing to create the best displays.
“We do that just to say thank you for what they do,” Rich said, “and to acknowledge the stresses on them and their families.”
Tax credit advantage
A Georgia state law, passed three years ago, provides a powerful incentive for donations to qualified public safety foundations. Any donation becomes a dollar-for-dollar tax credit against Georgia state income tax liability.
“If you make a donation to the Johns Creek Public Safety Foundation, you will get a tax credit that you can use to pay your Georgia state income taxes,” Rich explained. “You don’t even have to itemize.”
Corporations can donate up to 75 percent of their tax liability, and the statewide cap for such credits is $75 million. The Johns Creek foundation has not come close to reaching that limit and can receive up to $3 million annually in tax credits.
Despite these advantages, donations remain modest. The foundation helps fewer than 10 people per year — significant when serving a combined force of approximately 160 to 170 officers.
Proactive approach
What distinguishes the Johns Creek Public Safety Foundation is its proactive stance. Rather than waiting for officers to ask for help — something their pride often prevents — the foundation reaches out immediately when tragedy or illness strikes.
“Their reluctance to ask for help is one of the biggest challenges,” Rich noted.
To maintain privacy, the foundation works through a designated liaison — a former pastor who serves both police and fire departments. Officers can approach this person confidentially, who then brings requests to the board. This buffer protects officers’ dignity and privacy, particularly crucial in an era when mental health support is increasingly vital.
Johns Creek’s police and fire departments are unique in offering full-time mental health services, including a psychologist on staff. The foundation complements these services by removing financial barriers to healing.
Ripple effect
When Beth and Aaron Roberts decided to transform their retirement celebration into a fundraiser, they were continuing a legacy they had helped build. Both served on the foundation’s board, representing their respective departments.
“We figured it would help, even if it was just a couple hundred bucks,” Beth said of their goal for the event.
The event raised $400 — modest perhaps, but meaningful. More importantly, it raised awareness about an organization many Johns Creek residents don’t know exists.
“Until they need it, they really don’t even know it exists,” one firefighter noted, describing how the foundation had helped with a leg injury.
Final act of service
For Beth and Aaron, the June 7 event represented a final act of service to the community they had protected for nearly two decades. Beth, an inaugural Johns Creek police officer and former K-9 unit commander, is moving to Colorado with Aaron, a retired fire captain, to open a dog training facility focused on tracking and trailing.
But before they left, they wanted to ensure that their colleague and his family would have support during his recovery. They wanted to remind Johns Creek residents that the foundation exists. And they wanted to demonstrate, one last time, the principle that guides public safety work: you take care of your own.
“This was our last way to make somewhat of an impact on the foundation,” Beth Roberts said.
It was also a reminder that serving those who serve requires more than a paycheck. It requires a community that remembers: when crisis strikes, we stand together.
How to help
Donations to the Johns Creek Public Safety Foundation can be made online through the foundation’s website. All donations are tax-deductible, and Georgia residents can apply state tax credits.
Corporations and individuals alike can support the foundation’s mission to provide financial assistance to Johns Creek police and fire personnel and their families during times of crisis.
As David Rich reflected on his years serving on the foundation’s board: “They make me feel like a million bucks. I feel so appreciated by the cops and the firefighters. It’s unbelievable.”
That mutual appreciation — among those who serve and those who support them — is the foundation’s true legacy.
For more information, visit jcpublicsafetyfoundation.org.
