Dr. Ken Hartman has spent the last several years giving high-school seniors headed for the military a proper salute. But recently, it’s Hartman himself who received some recognition.
Hartman was awarded the Most Valuable Patriot prize at the second annual FOX Nation Patriot Awards. He was recognized for his work in founding Our Community Salutes, a national nonprofit created to honor high-school seniors enlisting in the military.
The organization hosts ceremonies for graduating seniors headed for the service and invites members of the community to celebrate the students and thank them for their choice. Hartman is also working to expand the nonprofit’s mission and connect with members of the military close to completing their time in the service to help them prepare for their post-service life.
The idea for Our Community Salutes came while Hartman was serving on the Cherry Hill Board of Education in 2007. He attended that year’s graduation ceremonies and was surprised to learn that despite having a number of students entering the service, the district did not recognize those students at graduation.
Many parents of high school seniors automatically get asked where their child is going to college, according to Hartman. Some are met with confusion or disapproval when they respond that their child is entering the service.
Hartman said there’s a stigma attached to military service that kids who join do so because they lack other options, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. He stressed that students join for any number of reasons, and with only about 50 percent of applicants qualifying to join, the process is more selective than some may realize.
Having served in the United States Army for 10 years himself, Hartman wanted to do something to recognize the service-bound students.
“These are young people who are very very patriotic,” he noted. “It takes a very special 18-year-old to be able to put their country before themselves.”
Our Community Salutes held its first ceremony at The Mansion in Voorhees in 2009. Hartman invited veterans, business leaders, educators and active-duty personnel to come say thank you. In his eyes, the ceremony is no different than a welcome reception for new college students.
The next thing Hartman knew, he was contacted by a woman in Pittsburgh who was interested in hosting a Our Community Salutes ceremony. So, in 2010, two ceremonies were held, and the following year, they expanded yet again, with 10 taking place across the country.
Today, there are nearly 50 locations that host ceremonies in 25 states. With COVID-19 making these ceremonies out of the question this year. Hartman dreamed up a virtual ceremony to honor 150,000 graduating seniors joining the military. He called the program America Salutes and recruited an array of notable people to wish the class of 2020 well. Actor Terry Crews hosted, and the program featured senior military leaders and veterans across all services, musical performances from well-known artists and thank-you video messages from celebrities.
The nonprofit’s mission has become more than just saying thank you. In recent years, Hartman realized that once military personnel complete their time in the service, they may need a bit of help navigating the next phase of their lives. So he created Our Community Salutes Connects to focus on financial literacy and college-planning resources.
Hartman said while it’s his name on the Patriot award, the true patriots are the young adults putting their lives on the line to serve.
“While I’m humbled and honored to receive this award, I did so on behalf of them and their moms and dads who had the courage to support that decision,” he noted.
Our Community Salutes is funded entirely by donations, and while Hartman hopes to continue scaling the resources the organization provides, he said it is at a “tipping point” and will need funding to keep growing. Anyone interested in learning more or donating can do so at www.ourcommunitysalutes.org.
