Vet Fest returns to Middletown on Sept. 30 to raise awareness about veteran suicide

Held during National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, this year’s Vet Fest is on Saturday, Sept. 30, and will once again bring mental health support and resources to local veteran communities.

Organizations like Stop Solder Suicide and the Department of Veterans Affairs aim to raise awareness about the challenges veterans face while providing education, resources, treatment and hope for all members of the armed forces to get the help they need, when they need it.

Here in Delaware, Vet Fest is an annual event that has operated with this mission in mind for eight years.

Vet Fest in Middletown offers outreach from mental health groups and peer-to-peer networking while creating a space for military members and civilians to come together and support service members past and present.

It also serves as a fundraising event for Stop Soldier Suicide, an organization that focuses on helping at-risk individuals by providing housing assistance, mental health support and any other personalized care or service someone needs.

Last year’s Vet Fest raised $165,000, and the event has raised nearly $700,000 in its history to help Stop Soldier Suicide combat veteran suicide.

“Vet Fest is as much a modality of healing as it is an event,” said Brian DiSabatino, CEO of EDiS Co., and a member of the advisor board for Stop Soldier Suicide. “The topic of Vet Fest is sad and bitter, but the day is very festive. While there are parades and music, there are tears as we salute our fallen ones."

As much as the event is a public acknowledgment of mental health struggles soldiers may face, it remains sensitive to the deeply personal aspect of that journey by offering plenty of support resources “quietly and in the background” of the event to ensure all attendees can get help in a way they feel comfortable.

The need for mental health support for veterans

In 2020, there were 6,146 veteran suicides, an average of 16.8 per day, according to the 2022 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

Despite this being 343 fewer than the number of veteran suicides in 2019, the suicide rate for veterans was 57.3% greater than that for non-veteran U.S. adults, the report showed.

The report also shared information about mental health and substance use disorder diagnoses among Veterans Health Administration (VHA) users, indicating that from 2001 to 2020, the prevalence of VHA mental health or substance use disorder diagnoses among annual cohorts of recent veteran VHA users rose from 27.9% to 41.9%.

Among those who died from suicide in 2020, the prevalence of depression diagnoses was 35.2%, 25.6% for anxiety, 24.4% for post-traumatic stress disorder, 19.6% for alcohol use disorder, 8.3% for cannabis use disorder, 7.5% for bipolar disorder, 4.9% for opioid use disorder, 4.6% for personality disorder and 4.5% for schizophrenia.

The number of veteran VHA patients with diagnoses related to gender identity increased from 2,515 in 2011 to 8,316 in 2019, according to the report.

This data emphasizes the need for more resources and outreach among the veteran community, and with events like Vet Fest focusing on this at-risk group, those who are involved already have seen the beginning of hope and change.

At a veterans event earlier this year, DiSabatino witnessed two veterans speak to a crowd about their struggles and share that they would not be alive if they hadn’t gone to Vet Fest and been exposed to the provided support and resources.

What to expect at Vet Fest

The event, held in the Town of Whitehall at 801 Mapleton Ave., runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The main events of the day are the 5K and the 10K ruck, a signature competition where individuals carry a backpack while trekking all the way to the Chesapeake & Delaware Canal and back.

There also will be musical performances, an awards ceremony and a parade, bigger than last year’s display, all while various veterans' groups such as American Legion and Wounded Warriors share their missions and help the community.

Almost 60 veteran organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and Irreverent Warriors plan to offer resources and come together to create a sense of community for attendees.

With more support organizations registered for attendance than ever before, said DiSabatino, and nearly 500 runners signed up, the event is shaping up to be a “full-throttled embracing of our military community and their civilian peers.”

During the parade, families of soldiers who died by suicide carry an American flag to quietly honor the veterans.

Although the event takes place on Sept. 30 this year, anyone who is unable to attend in person can tune in virtually throughout the weekend.

Launched in 2021 to continue Vet Fest’s outreach during the pandemic, virtual tickets allow people from any location to have access to the same connections and crucial resources as they would if they were there in person.

“This issue is so complex. If there were one magic wand answer, we would have had this solved,” said DiSabatino. “At the end of the day, they are not alone. … We have a chance to change the trajectory of this epidemic.”

To register for Vet Fest or get involved as a volunteer, visit the event page at www.raceroster.com.

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Mental health resources

If you are having thoughts of suicide, contact the Veteran Crisis Line for free, confidential support and crisis intervention by dialing 988 and then pressing 1, chatting online at veteranscrisisline.net/chat, or texting 838255.

These services are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Go Roger, from Stop Soldier Suicide, is a mental wellness ally offering support services to members and veterans from each branch and generation of the military regardless of discharge status.

There is no reporting requirement. Anyone seeking help will be matched with a wellness coordinator to help meet their short-term or long-term needs through a personalized approach. Visit goroger.org to get connected.

More resources for mental health support include:

• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached at 988 or (800) 273-8255 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can chat online by visiting suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

• NAMI Delaware's helpline can be reached at (888) 427-2643. Select option 1. For Spanish options, call (302) 415-4356.

• The general NAMI helpline can be reached at (800) 950-NAMI (6264) or info@nami.org.

• Delaware's Mobile Crisis Intervention Services are available in northern and southern parts of the state, and assist with issues related to depression, suicide, interpersonal conflict, substance abuse and grief. The northern hotline can be reached at (302) 577-2484 or (800) 652-2929. The southern hotline can be reached at (302) 424-5550 or (800) 345-6785.

Got a tip or a story idea? Contact Krys'tal Griffin at kgriffin@delawareonline.com.   

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This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Vet Fest raises awareness about veteran suicide Sept. 30 in Middletown