PENTWATER, Mich., Jan. 21, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- The West
Michigan S.A.I.L. Program (WMSP) today announced that the
not-for-profit-organization has formally launched a fund-raising
campaign to support critically needed programming for veterans
suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS), formerly known as Post
Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which has exponentially worsened
with the Covid-19 Pandemic, widespread unemployment and political
unrest.
WMSP, which received not-for-profit status on June 27, 2018, and tax-exempt status on
September 5, 2019, also announced
that the organization has acquired four well-equipped sail boats,
including one outfitted for handicapped sailors, and three dinghies
for use in programming designed to give veterans the team-and
mission-inspired experience of learning to sail, and in doing so,
learn to heal their demons. "Veteran suicides averaged 22 per
day before the Pandemic," said Lee
Price, founder and president of WMSP. "The economic
impacts wreaked by the Pandemic have worsened conditions for most
newly discharged veterans and our board of directors recently said,
enough is enough," Price said. Michigan's suicide rate among younger veterans
is the highest in the nation.
According to U.S. military records, veterans are 1.5 times more
likely to take their own lives than people that never served in the
military. Female veterans are more than two-times more likely
to take their own lives, according to the same data.
Suicides in general are at their highest levels since 1941. A
five-year high, more than 200 Michigan veterans took their own
lives in 2018, the last year data is available from the Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA).
To help veterans suffering from PTS, as early as spring-2021 the
WMSP is planning to offer programs for veterans in a seven-county
area that includes Oceana,
Mason, Newaygo, Muskegon, Osceola, Mecosta and Lake Counties. Utilizing
programming designed specifically for veterans suffering from PTS,
the WMSP will introduce the Basic Keelboat Class to as many as 12
veterans per week, utilizing both classroom and
on-the-water-experiences, to give veterans the shared learning
experience of sailing. According to the Veterans
Administration, there are more than 27,000 veterans living in the
seven-county region that comprises the WMSP's service area.
More than 6,000 veterans in the seven-county region are actively
being treated at VA facilities across Michigan, which is home to more than 500,000
veterans.
Individuals interested in doing something about West Michigan veteran suicides, and helping
those suffering with PTS issues, should contact the WMSP to find
out how they can help by emailing the organization at
westmichigansailprogram@gmail.com. Contributions to WMSP are
tax deductible and can be sent to: West Michigan Sail Program, PO
Box 434, Pentwater, MI 49449.
If you are a veteran in crisis or concerned about one, call the
VA's Veterans Crisis Line at 800 273-8255.
Contact:
Mark Trierweiler
289702@email4pr.com
517 899-6330
https://www.westmichigansailprogram.com/
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SOURCE The West Michigan S.A.I.L. Program