Courtesy ARCC
The Veterans Business Network (VBN) of the Adirondack Regional Chamber of Commerce (ARCC) is again hosting the Veteran Suicide Awareness & Prevention Walk in downtown Glens Falls on Wednesday, Sept. 13, beginning in downtown Glens Falls City Park.
The event will be held rain or shine.
Veteran resource booths open at 3:30 p.m. Walk participants will convene at 4 p.m. at the City Park gazebo for a brief greeting. The walk will begin promptly at 4:22 p.m. and end at 4:46 p.m. at the starting point. Each registered participant must donate a minimum $1 per person at the time of event.
After brief greeting remarks, participants will walk a circuit around Downtown Glens Falls for 22 minutes in remembrance of those lost and to raise awareness of the need for prevention.
In 2021, the VBN partnered with the VFW Post 2475 to organize what was then known as the Stop 22 Walk, an initiative, started in 2018 between the Department of NY Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the health care company Humana, to increase awareness of Veterans committing suicide.
The walk has grown in attendance and offerings. Last year saw the addition of informational tables featuring resources and services for Veterans. Currently, 11 businesses and organizations are scheduled to provide information and resources for veterans.
Donations collected at the walk will benefit this year’s chosen veteran-focused nonprofit: Alliance 180. Alliance180 is a peer-to-peer, purpose-driven program that aims to prevent suicide for fellow veterans, first responders and frontline healthcare workers facing the effects of trauma through a transformative equine experience.
“The leaders of the ARCC’s VBN have worked tirelesslåy to reach Veterans in our community to provide valuable connections to resources, business opportunities and each other,” said Carol Ann Conover, ARCC liaison to the Veterans Business Network. “This will be the third year the VBN has hosted a walk to raise awareness of the epidemic of Veteran suicide. I am proud to help organize this vital initiative to support our veterans in need and raise funds to invest in prevention. I invite our community to walk with us and share this opportunity to raise awareness with your veteran friends and colleagues.”