MERIDIAN, Idaho — A special event is being held in Nampa and Meridian this weekend.
it's called the "Just Save One" mental health symposium & 9/11 tribute.
The goal is to raise awareness about mental health and suicide among first responders, veterans, and their families.
“We've got phenomenal keynote speakers from across the country as well as local as well a lot of Save a Warrior alumni that's a program we're supporting and the funds are going towards that to make sure that Idaho first responders and veterans always have a seat in that program,” says Jacki Briggs Founder and Director of Courageous Survival.
Save a Warrior is a 72-hour suicide solution program, Eric Krites is an alumnus of the program who served as a first responder for more than 30 years.
He knows the struggles first responders go through first-hand.
He says. “I didn't realize how hard I was struggling until I got there, and you don't know what you don't know, and they have turned my life around and I am forever grateful for what they've done for me.”
Krites came to Idaho to join his friend Lance Santiago - a retired police officer and Marine who will be taking part in a suicide prevention awareness ride over the weekend from Nampa to Hillsboro Ohio. A cross-country trip to Save a Warrior headquarters.
“We're going to take off go across the country, we're going to be stopping at American Legions VFW's to spread that awareness throughout the country and we're going to land in Warrior Village when we get there from my understanding we're going to have 200 motorcycles greeting,” says Santiago.
Many first responders and veterans experience PTSD or suffer from mental health, and with funds from this weekend's event that money will make sure Idaho veterans and first responders have a spot in the Save A Warrior program.
Santiago says, "You need to take a good hard look at your life to see what got you to this point what got you to the point where you wanted to take your own life where you thought it would be better to be dead than to go on living and in order to do that you got to look at what happened in your life and once you see what happened then you have the ability to look forward and produce a new life and that's what happened to me.”
The event continues Saturday with an Elevate Everyday Heroes from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Elevate Mind and Body Studios.
The suicide awareness prevention ride will be taking place Saturday afternoon starting from Elevate Mind and Body Studios to Hillsboro Ohio.
