Support a father and son pair as they hike the Appalachian Trail to raise money and awareness to save veterans from suicide.
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Twenty-two veterans commit suicide every day. This shocking statistic, published recently in USA Today, comes straight from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Let that sink in for a minute. That’s nearly one veteran suicide every hour. Veterans account for 10% of our population but 20% of suicides, meaning vets are twice as likely to kill themselves as the average American. And some experts hypothesize that 22 is a starting point, and the actual number may be greater.
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I’m guessing many of you reading this are not aware that veteran suicide is a high-priority problem.
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Each year, over 8,000 soldiers who risked their lives for our country take their lives by their own hand, but I’m guessing many of you reading this are not aware that veteran suicide is a high-priority problem. It’s not widely broadcast. But it’s nearly as significant as deaths from drunk-driving related accidents, which clock in at 28 per day or just over 10,000 per year. We hear about the dangers of drunk driving all the time. We see it on billboards and commercials and before every major high school dance. Twenty-eight and 22 are comparable numbers, yet one is public knowledge and has advocacy groups on the case, while the other takes a back seat. I’m not implying one is a greater priority than the other, just noting that the statistics are similar and one receives substantial attention while the other does not. Perhaps that’s because suicides are not labeled as “innocent victims” the way those are who are killed in alcohol-related accidents.
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The good news is that a father and son—two ordinary guys concerned about veterans at risk—have decided to embark on an extraordinary journey to shine light on this issue. Kevin (dad) and Hunter Steele (son) are currently in the second month of their six-month Hike for Heroes 2014, a 2,185 mile trek from Springer Mountain in Georgia up the Appalachian Trail to Mt. Katahdin in Maine to raise money to help with the treatment and prevention of veteran suicide. Just yesterday, they posted the following report on Facebook:
Made it to Dick’s Creek Gap this afternoon. Slept at Sassafras Gap last night. It was FREEZING! In Hiawassee tonight and tomorrow icing the foot. Hiking 17 miles since yesterday morning has it swollen up and hurting again. But we’ll make it. It’s just going to take us longer here at the beginning than we would like. But that’s ok. We’ve still managed to cover 70 miles in 7 days of hiking.
Kevin and Hunter’s story, outlined with basic simplicity on their website, is that Hunter asked his father if they could hike the Appalachian Trail “someday.” Kevin promised they’d do it when Hunter graduated high school, which happened this past May. They left in mid-March, after months of training and preparation. As they planned their journey, they decided to use this hike for more than just father-son bonding. They turned their adventure into a fundraiser for charity and teamed up with ActiveHeroes.org, a Kentucky-based charity that provides help and resources to veterans and their families. Their mission statement reads, ”Active Heroes’ mission is to strengthen active duty military, veterans and their families in order to provide the coping skills to manage the stress and the triggering points that lead to suicide. Active Heroes is dedicated to connecting and helping America’s military families through physical and mental therapy, home repairs and community outreach, financial assistance and community reintegration to halt the triggering points and stress associated with ‘hard times’ that lead to suicide.”
This compelling video on the ActiveHeroes website documents the story of a vet who almost didn’t make it, narrated by his best friend. His friend asks, “Why do we judge people who are in a dark place when they need help?”
Active Heroes is set to build a retreat where veterans and their families can go to get away and deal with the effects of PTSD, which is where the funds Kevin and Hunter raise will go.
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Active Heroes is set to build a retreat where veterans and their families can go to get away and deal with the effects of PTSD, which is where the funds Kevin and Hunter raise will go. Groundbreaking for this retreat and nature park begins on May 30. Kevin and Hunter’s goal is to raise $100,000, which they admit sounds lofty, but they’ve broken it down to a penny per mile and have asked each supporter to donate just $22. They need 5,000 donors to hit their mark and are off to an impressive start with over $12K as of March 16. They’re also selling t-shirts and wristbands on their website to supplement the cost of the hike. Kevin is upfront in explaining how these funds will help him and his father eat on the road and stay in hotels for the showers (and ostensibly the Wi-Fi, as they’re documenting this journey via blog) while imploring people to donate to Active Heroes first.
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Vets are twice as likely to kill themselves as the average American.
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Wouldn’t it be great to help Kevin and Hunter reach their $100,000 goal? You can participate in a threefold victory: 1) Help ActiveHeroes put this money to good use; 2) Help this charity and the issue of veteran suicide get some much needed publicity; and 3) Support Kevin and Hunter’s experience of hiking the trail together as father and son. How many other young men will be able to say they hiked over 2,000 miles of the Appalachian Trail with their dad—and raised a hundred grand for a great cause in the process?
To help, head for the HikeforHeroes2014 website, their Facebook page, their blog, and the page where you can donate. Visit the ActiveHeroes website to learn more about their mission and the future retreat center.
Photos courtesy of Kevin and Hunter Steele.