The Fire For Effect Foundation Inc. (FFEF) — from left to right, Chris Sabato, Ashley Sabato, Al Lacerda and Elias Basilla — visited the Vets Club for a boxing charity event with Granite Chin Promotions. (Photo Courtesy Fire For Effect Foundation)
BRIDGEWATER — The Town of Bridgewater’s first responders have a guardian angel. In fact, they have a whole nonprofit organization of guardian angels working all year long to support veterans, first responders and their families.
The Fire For Effect Foundation Inc. (FFEF) — a volunteer-based nonprofit organization headquartered in Bridgewater, dedicated to honoring and empowering veterans, first responders and the communities that stand with them — was founded by Bridgewater resident and U.S. Marine Corps veteran Al Lacerda.
FFEF will host First Responders Day 2026 on Saturday, April 25, and have a year-long schedule of events planned for Bridgewater.
The Origins of FFEF
FFEF draws its name from a military fire-command term — “fire for effect” — meaning to adjust and intensify firepower until the target is hit with precision.
“The foundation applies that same philosophy beyond the battlefield: focus, precision, and impact directed at uplifting those who have served,” said Lacerda, the current FFEF president. “Rather than operating as a large corporate entity, Fire For Effect is proudly a small, grassroots group of passionate individuals who cut through bureaucracy and red tape to deliver real, fast results for the people who need them most — veterans, first responders and their families.”
In 2000, at 19 years old, Lacerda enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. Soon after training, the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 led to a 2003 deployment in Iraq during the initial invasion. His experiences overseas left a deep, lasting mark.
“As a young man without the life experience to fully process what I’d been through, the emotional and psychological toll surfaced years later in the form of isolation, and anti-social behavior,” Lacerda recalled. “Recognizing the destructive path I was on, I sought help through the Hyannis Vet Center then later through the VA’s Vocational Rehabilitation program. It was like a reset button for my life.”
That program led Lacerda to North Shore Community College and later Bridgewater State University, where he found community, purpose and the tools to rebuild himself.
“It was in the classrooms of Bridgewater State University that the seed of the foundation was planted,” Lacerda said.
Inspired by the veteran programs that helped him, Lacerda decided to start his own local nonprofit, later recruiting fellow veteran and student Chris Salley (now the foundation’s treasurer).
“A driving motivation was simple but powerful: create a volunteer-driven organization that could help veterans and first responders quickly and directly, without the delays and red tape that plague larger systems,” Lacerda said.
Early Impact: Town River Landing
Lacerda and his team identified an overlooked, overgrown area in Bridgewater known as Town River Landing. The project would become the foundation’s first major initiative. FFEF organized community volunteers and cleared 38,000 square feet of previously unusable space, transforming it into a vibrant venue for nonprofit events — with all proceeds flowing back into the foundation’s mission.
Click here to help the ongoing Town River Landing effort.
The foundation also channels funds into vocational programs like those at Garrison Speed Shop, which teaches veterans welding, metal fabrication, and provides a communal space for working on motorcycles — giving veterans hands-on skills and a way to reconnect with one another.
First Responders Day
Building on the Town River Landing momentum, FFEF worked with the Bridgewater Town Council to pass a local law establishing First Responders Day on the last Saturday of every April. The annual event is held at Town River Landing, creating a dedicated day of recognition — right in the heart of the community.
WHAT: First Responders Day 2026
WHEN: Saturday, April 25, 2-5 p.m.
WHERE: The Launch, 80 Spring St., Bridgewater
The 2026 event marks the celebration’s fourth year. And by Lacerda’s definition, the phrase “first responders” includes firefighters, police officers, nurses, doctors, military personnel, and anyone else who works in the health care field.
First Responders Day will include a day full of activities, starting with a Red Cross Blood Drive, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Click here for more details and to register to donate.
Then, from 2-5 p.m., attendees will witness the first flag raising over Town River Landing on a new pole donated by the Perkins Family (Perkins Foundry). A DJ will play family-friendly tunes, while several demonstrations showcase the invaluable work of first responders.
First Responders Day will include a special performance by the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union (MCOFU) Pipes and Drums band.
The following organizations, vendors and community partners will attend:
- Home Base (Veteran and Family Care)
- Boston Medical Center South
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — Brockton Vet Center
- American Red Cross — Massachusetts Region
- New England Donor Services
- Boston MedFlight
- Coastal Medical Transportation Systems
- Bridgewater Police Foundation
- Bridgewater Television (BTV)
- Bridgewater Veterans Office
- Bridgewater Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
- Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office
- Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union (MCOFU) Pipes and Drums
- Project Delta
- Bridgewater Hometown Heroes
- DelPrete Home Improvements — Operation Payback (supports our troops)
- DelPrete Home Improvements — Operation Frontline (supports first responders)
- Comfort dogs
- Face painting
- Fresh squeezed lemonade
- Kettle corn
- Buddy and Friends Animal Rescue (adoptable dogs)
- South Shore Smoke House
- Deng’s Garden
- Black Hat Brew Works
“First Responders Day is about connection and gratitude — bringing the community together to recognize not just what first responders do, but who they are,” Lacerda said. “Come out on April 25th to celebrate our local heroes and the organizations that support them.”
The Rest of 2026
FFEF has a full 2026 Event Calendar planned at Town River Landing (TRL) for the Bridgewater community, after First Responders Day kicks off the schedule.
The organization has the following events planned:
- Audacity Music Festival (TRL initiative Music Alley), Saturday, May 9, 12-8 p.m.
- Bridgewater Country Fest 2026, Saturday, May 16, 1-8 p.m.
- Williams School Fundraiser (TRL Initiative), Sunday, May 31, 4-8 p.m.
- Bridgewater Farmers Market & Craft Fair, Saturday, June 27, 2-5 p.m.
- Bridgewater Farmers Market & Craft Fair, Saturday, July 11, 4-7 p.m.
- Bridgewater Farmers Market & Craft Fair, Saturday, July 25, 4-7 p.m.
- Bridgewater Farmers Market & Craft Fair, Saturday, Aug. 8, 2-5 p.m.
- Bridgewater Farmers Market & Craft Fair, Saturday, Aug. 22, 2-5 p.m.
- Bridgewater Farmers Market & Craft Fair, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2-5 p.m.
- Bridgewater Farmers Market & Craft Fair, Saturday, Sept. 26, 2-5 p.m.
- 1st Annual Dick “The Unit” Fowler BTV Day, Saturday, Oct. 3, 2-5 p.m.
- Bridgewater Farmers Market & Craft Fair, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2-5 p.m.
- South Shore Farmer Brew Fest 7, Sunday, Oct. 11, 1-5 p.m.
- Bridgewater Farmers Market & Craft Fair, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2-5 p.m.
- Support the 4th Trunk or Treat 2026 (TRL Initiative), Sunday, Oct. 25, 2-5 p.m.
“Al is responsible for so many of the wonderful events that Bridgewater has had in the past, with more on the horizon for this year,” said Bridgewater Town Manager Justin Casanova-Davis. “I can’t wait to visit these events and see first-hand what Fire in Effect has planned for the community.”
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