It is with great enthusiasm that we officially kick off the celebration of our 15th year as an organization. After losing friends and fellow service members to suicide, Army veterans, Brian Kinsella, Nick Black, and Craig Gridelli were determined to create a solution for their fellow veterans who were experiencing difficult times. For them, military suicide isn’t just a problem. It’s personal.
It was clear that something had to be done - proactively - to get their brothers and sisters in arms the help they needed and reduce the number of service members and veterans lost to suicide. Our organization, Stop Soldier Suicide, was established 15 years ago to put action around the mission to solve the suicide crisis within the military.
Our organization has grown in size, scope, and impact over the years. With strong roots in advocacy and awareness that foundation grew to include ROGER Wellness, our clinical care model, and the Black Box Project®. What hasn’t changed is our resolve in this mission.
We are welcoming this 15th year with a framework that is inviting us into reflection on the past while simultaneously driving us forward into the future.
Each year, there are 6,400 veterans and service members who die by suicide. As we remember them, we remain steadfast in our mission to save lives. We also know that those within the military community are 58% more likely to die by suicide than their civilian counterparts. We have to remember the gravity of this mission and what is at stake.
For loss survivors, we know it isn’t about statistics but it is about the face, the name, the love, and the lingering grief. We cannot and will not forget that. We remember those who have been lost and see the large scale impact of suicide on the lives of the survivors. Did you know that for each individual who dies by suicide there are on average 135 people impacted by that loss? We remember those lost and we remember those still with us who are having to heal through profound grief.
At Stop Solider Suicide, we serve courageous men and women from all branches of the military and walk with them as they fight some of their toughest battles. All of our care is free, confidential and offered regardless of discharge status or length of service. Being highly inclusive of the full spectrum of the military community is a core aspect of who we are.
To be trusted to serve our clients is a high calling. Since the launch of ROGER Wellness Service, we have had the privilege of serving nearly 6,000 clients for a total of over 41,000 clinical hours. We have also responded to 21,438 help requests. Each client we serve, help request we respond to, and minute dedicated to clinical care is a true honor.
With 15 years of dedicated service already activated, we know the battle continues. We will continue to advance our mission to decrease military suicide through our ROGER Wellness Service. We use suicide-specific and evidence-backed therapies with our clients. Our team of experts stays on top of the latest data for how to be help individuals who are high risk for suicide. We know that our depth of expertise and commitment to data driven therapeutic decisions are key aspects of our impact.
Another critical component of how we will continue to advance is the Black Box Project®. This initiative unites previously unavailable and siloed data with leading-edge technology to further our understanding of suicide risk and protective factors. Through this project we collect devices from individuals who have died by suicide, loaned to us by loss survivors, and we copy the data from the device. In doing so, we are creating a first-of-its-kind opportunity to uncover new insights that will help us get to people sooner and save more lives.
As Brian Kinsella, our co-founder and chairman shared, “Together, we can create a future where every veteran, and every individual at risk, receives the support they need — before it’s too late.” Without you - supporters, donors, clinicians, advocates, friends, and clients - this mission would be impossible. But because of you, we have hope. Not just any kind of hope but a relentless resolve that the future will be better for veterans and service members.
While we consider all that the past 15 years have held, and all that the future will hold, we have to ask - will you stand with us? There are so many ways to get involved whether it is through donating, joining a challenge, hosting an event, or following us on social media.
There is space for all as we move forward far into the future. We can’t do this without you - together, this mission is possible!