Military Veteran Community Bench

Survivors of Suicide of Dubois County (SOSofDC) have been gifted a Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) Bench from the Military/Veteran Communities in the Parks Working Group.  The bench was inspired by CALM from the United Kingdom, where benches encouraged communities to engage in meaningful conversation while increasing suicide awareness. In 2022, 492 young enlisted Service members died by suicide.  In the United States, there were over 49,000 people who died by suicide.  According to statistics, for every suicide death, 135 people are exposed, with six experiencing major life disruption.  There are over 5 million suicide loss survivors in the United States.   Information on the bench is the 988 Suicide Crisis Hotline, the QR code to the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs (IDVA) and WorkOne jobs, and the SOSofDC plaque. The bench was created in partnership with Pendleton Correctional Facility and designed by the WorkOne JVSO team.  Janet Schnell, President of SOSofDC and Suicide Postvention Subject Matter Expert Contractor for the federal government, will present the bench at Southridge High School Veterans Day Program on Friday, November 8, 2024, at the Southridge Football Field.  The purpose of this event is to honor our nation's veterans and thank them for their bravery.  Huntingburg City Park will be the home for this special CALM Bench. For more information, please visit SOSofDC at [email protected]  www.SOSofDC.org  and  follow us on Facebook at SOSofDC and Instagram at sosofduboiscounty

The event will occur at Southridge High School football field in Huntingburg, Indiana, on Friday, November 8, 2024, during the Veterans Day Program beginning at 10:40 a.m. ET