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​Our partner, Wilmington based Coastal Horizons reports that as of December 2024, The Save A Vet Now Veterans Outreach Program has improved the lives of fifty-three individuals since its inception hopefully saving a life or two along the way. Those fifty-three individuals were seen a total of 1016 times at Coastal Horizons.  While the Program is instrumental in supporting our veterans, we need to find ways to improve its utilization. 

The stigma our society places on mental health as well as the loss of tribal connections continue to contribute to this less than optimal use of a vital resource.​

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Our efforts to increase our communities' awareness of the veteran suicide crisis continued in 2024 through speaking engagements. We addressed several organizations; among them the Marine Corps League, Knights of Columbus, The Rotary Club, and the Compass Pointe Veterans Club. We continue to give our audiences an understanding that there are different categories of veterans and different cultures, each having a distinct impact on our communities. Of most importance was identifying that group of veterans who "go it alone," refuse help, and significantly contribute to the veteran suicide crisis. From discussions with veterans belonging to these organizations as well as veterans just leaving active duty we learned those problem areas most likely to alienate and further stress veterans; the loss of their tribe, the stigma our society places on mental health, and the transition to civilian life.  

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Save A Vet Now co-chaired a second seminar with the Cape Fear Veterans Resilience Project. The seminar included local community organizational representatives directly involved with providing mental health support to veterans. Attendees included, among others, representatives from the Veterans Administration, Coastal Horizons, the Naval Medical Center at Camp LeJeune. Among the topics discussed were a) Those veterans who "go it alone," b) how we might connect healthy veterans with those who “go it alone,” and  and c) The stigma we attach to mental health. The seminar was quite successful. All attendees agreed the discussions were fruitful and should be continued periodically.

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Save A Vet Now continued its presence in the Southeast North Carolina Veterans Day Parade. We are proud to have the SENC Veterans Parade as a sponsor and we will continue to support their efforts in any way we can. 

 

Blue Moon Gift Shops and Eclipse Artisan Boutique once again sponsored a successful September Step Up For Vets Fundraiser. The event gets better and better each year.