Joe Colavito
Fundraising on behalf of Guardian Revival, Inc.
Fundraising on behalf of Guardian Revival, Inc.
$3,191.52
Raised
44
Donations
$3,000
Goal
Freddie (SSG Valenzuela) was one of my platoon sergeants in AIT in 2012. We kept up after, talking often about our mutual love of Disney and Army stuff. We had planned to meet up and do the Bataan Memorial Death March (a full marathon ruck) in 2022, but it was cancelled due to Covid. Sadly, we lost Freddie earlier this year. I'll be heading to White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico in March to complete this event in his memory. If you're so inclined and able, I'm raising funds for Guardian Revival in the process.
Guardian Revival is a New York State 501(c)(3) Not-for-Profit organization chartered to provide opportunities, resources, and support at no cost to our active and veteran Guardians so that they can revive, protect, and preserve their mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health & wellbeing.
Boots & Paws provides veterans and first responders in need with service and companion dogs. Dogs are awarded along with a care package, which includes food, veterinary coverage, and pet insurance for a year, microchipping, professional training sessions, pet essentials, and travel costs for the recipient.
Another Summit is a therapeutic outdoor adventure program that organizes and leads structured outdoor activities such as hiking, backpacking, and paddling adventures in the Hudson Valley Region of New York for first responders, veterans, and their families.
Guardian Encore provides our guardians with opportunities to learn, write, play, record, and share music through three avenues: Guardian Jams, Guardian Tracks, and Guardian Retreats.
EquiNorth is a horsemanship program that provides our guardians with opportunities to develop real-world equine skills, abilities, and relationships through structured and progressive equine activities and certifications.
Guardian Revival raises money and awareness for veteran and first responder suicide and mental health. To reiterate how severe this mental health epidemic is, here are some statistics:
• An average of 18 out of 125 Americans who die by suicide every day are veterans.
• Since 2018, military veteran suicides have increased to nearly twice the rate of nonveterans.
• More first responders die by suicide than in the line of duty every year.
• Veterans between 18 and 34 are three times more likely to die by suicide than their nonveteran counterparts.
Stigmas related to mental health treatment among veterans and first responders make it even more challenging to address this problem and stem in large part from their self-reliant, tough-it-out culture that marginalize those experiencing distress, ultimately dissuading individuals from seeking treatment.