JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. – People plan to leave their footprints in the sand in Jacksonville Beach this weekend to raise money for resources aimed at preventing suicide among veterans.
The fifth annual Challenge 22 2.2-mile walk starts at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Seawalk Pavilion at 75 1st St. North. The distance honors a statistic that has since been updated that 22 veterans a day were losing their lives to suicide.
Organizer Jim Wineland, a U.S. Air Force veteran, said this year’s goal is to raise $20,000.
Wineland’s cousin died by suicide 45 years ago and eight years ago, Wineland almost lost his son, who served in the Iraq War with the Air Force.
“Well, when it has almost happened to you or a family member, you want to give a person a choice,” Wineland said, fighting tears. “You want them to make sure they make the right choice. We almost lost our son. I also lost a cousin. I want to make sure it does not happen to anyone else.”
Any money raised over the weekend will go to 14 different suicide prevention groups to provide more resources for veterans.
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One of those organizations is called the Project Vet Relief/ Suicide Prevention Initiative, which started about eight years ago. Wineland is the vice president of that program.
Resources offered include mental health assistance and counseling, equine therapy, which includes riding horses or spending time around horses, painting, and medical treatment.
“You count your blessings every day,” said Wineland, who is also affiliated with American Legion Post 129 and the 5th District Riders Department of Florida. “You count them every day.”
Wineland said when people come up to him because they know his background and he’s able to point them in the right direction, he feels blessed.
“We have an organization called Here Tomorrow [in Neptune Beach] and they are one of our networks. We have people at our post that have issues. We have a close place that they can go, and is open 24/7,” Wineland said. “It is growing, which means that they are helping more people. That helps me.”
Wineland said the Project Vet Relief/Suicide Prevention Initiative raised more than $700,000 within the last eight years and has helped more than 2,000 veterans locally.
If you are a veteran who needs to speak with someone, or if you know someone who does, you can call: 988 and then Dial 1.
You can also text the hotline at 838255. It is available 24/7.