DOVER, Fla. -- Down a quiet gravel road in Dover, sits a quaint house with a simple sign. It reads 'open.'

“Come on in, hey how are you, come on back," said Catrina Harr, counselor at Chaplaincy Cares Counseling Center.

Stepping inside is Hannah Bernard and her mother, there for a joint session. Bernard is a secuirty guard at a local ER Hospital in Hillsborough County.

“It’s been crazy, when I first got into security, the pandemic wasn’t happening, so I definitely wasn’t aware that was going to happen. So it changed everything," said Bernard.

Even prior to the pandemic, Bernard was already struggling. Depression was swallowing up the once happy girl.

“It makes you feel like there is no hope," said Bernard. “It brought me to a suicidal point, so that is when I definitely knew I needed like help and counseling and to talk about it." 

Beyond counseling, Chaplaincy Cares trains chaplains. They also work with multiple first responder organizations, meeting heroes right out on the front lines.

"We go where they are. So when there is a terrible scene, when there is an accident, when there is devastation or loss of life, we are able to walk with them through the blood, the mud, and the mire. And to let them know there is a way out of it," said Dr. Daniel Middlebrooks, Chaplaincy Care Founder & President.

Middlebrooks is a chaplain and a former member of the military. He founded the organization in 2013.

“The power of being heard, I think is one of the greatest gifts I think that we can give to anybody, especially when their heart is hurting," said Middlebrooks. "I think that is the power of what they do. In the military we always called it adapt and overcome."

Adjusting comes in the form of counseling, listening, mentoring, and thanking these men and women for their sacrifices. One way they also do this each year is with their annual Banquet of Heroes event.

“It was amazing, because you got all the first responders and things, and the families, and the communities, it is a great night," said Middlebrooks.

This year will be partially in person and partially virtual because of COVID-19.

“First responders when they come in they can either pick up the food and take it home or they can stay here, and we are going to spoil them a little more in our banquet hall that we have over there," said Middlebrooks.

The Banquet of Heroes event is the main fundraiser for the Chaplaincy Cares Organization. It is happening Saturday, August 29, from 6 to 8 p.m.