Post 22 in Florida recently staged its third Be the One River Walk, raising $6,500 while promoting the Legion’s veteran suicide prevention mission.
In 2024, leadership from The American Legion Department of Florida’s 12th District approached Indiana River Post 22 in Cocoa about conducting a Be the One walk to promote the organization’s veteran suicide prevention mission.
Post 22 Legionnaire Wes Park, who currently serves as the post’s finance office and director of American Legion Riders Chapter 22, already knew the impact of losing a veteran to suicide. Just a few months earlier, he’d learned that a good friend he’d served alongside in the U.S. Marine Corps had taken his own life.
Park was involved in that first walk and has continued to do, this year serving as chairman of Post 22’s Be the One River Walk. “That was a big resonation from the beginning,” he said of his friend’s death. “Unfortunately, like many, I’ve had a lot of friends who (died by suicide), but that was really fresh on my mind when it happened.”
Around 60 people took part in this year’s walk, which took place on March 17 and raised $6,500. Over three years the walk has raised more than $16,000.
“It was our best year yet, both monetarily and in participation,” Park said. “It was tough for the participation, because the entire week was forecast for rain … and that Saturday morning the forecast was terrible. We actually had probably less people than we would have had if there wasn’t such a dour forecast, because it ended up being a beautiful day and we had a great time.”
Other American Legion posts participate in the walk, including Post 359 and Post 1, which both are in Titusville. Post 22 also has expanded the walk’s reach beyond just The American Legion, this year inviting two AMVETs posts to join the effort. Participants are provided a complimentary lunch at Post 22 following the walk, and each receives a Be The One walk t-shirt.
The t-shirt features the event’s logo on the left chest of front side, while the back features Be the One branding, as well as the Veterans Crisis Line logo and phone number. “We do these shirts and people wear them, and it’s great for visibility,” Park said. “But I think we all know this: It’s less likely that a veteran’s going to come up to you, especially one you don’t know, and say, ‘I’m struggling.’ But just possibly, wearing this shirt around, they may see a lifeline that is there for them to be anonymous and talk to someone that can actually help them through a difficult time.
“Maybe wearing that shirt with that logo on the bottom of it, and maybe you’re walking in front of someone who you’ve never met and may never meet, but hopefully if they have dark thoughts and need help, they’ll see this line and reach out.”
Park said a committee was formed to choose this year’s charity, which ended up being Matthew’s Hope of Brevard County, which assists local homeless men, women, and children by meeting basic needs, developing skills, and restoring dignity and independence. The nonprofit also has added a mental health services component.
“The hope is to get feedback about where this money goes and how it helps veterans and families,” Park said. “That way, we can continue to promote it throughout and do well. That’s really what we want. We want to be able to come back to our membership and say, ‘Thank you for the money you provided. Here is what it did.’
“It’s so helpful to connect our post with something local so we can have a relationship. That’s what we do. We raise money to benefit veterans and families in the community, and to have those links is important.”
- Be the One