WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. – Sunday morning’s skate at AdventHealth Heart Ice in Wesley Chapel had a much bigger that means than simply bragging rights.
“We’re right here to play 22 consecutive hours of hockey to lift consciousness for the 22 veteran suicides which can be taking place every single day,” Chris Scangarello, Government Director of Lightning Warriors Hockey, mentioned.
The Lightning Warriors, a neighborhood veteran hockey nonprofit, hosted the fifth annual Hockey Heals 22 occasion from 2 p.m. Saturday to midday Sunday.
What they’re saying:
“On this group, we attempt to, anyone that is in danger, we attempt to be there earlier than, you realize, they go into that darkish gap,” fight veteran, Hunter McGaughey, mentioned. “I imply, as a veteran, all of us have been via it for one motive or one other,” he mentioned.
Rebecca Castaneda served within the Coast Guard for 13 years and is now a district command lawyer for New Orleans District 8.
“It is an excellent trigger. We won’t say sufficient in regards to the pandemic and the state of affairs, the disaster that we’ve with veterans committing suicide. So we maintain this occasion to deliver consciousness to it so that people perceive that it is a matter and to try to assist each other,” she mentioned.
The Lightning Warriors are made up of disabled veterans, some active-duty members and different first responders. They performed groups this weekend from throughout the state in 17 video games over 22 straight hours.
“There’s actually been no age restrict that is been out right here, and it has been completely implausible,” Keigh Jones, who spent 25 years within the Military as a particular forces officer, mentioned. “It is implausible to have simply the women and men that come out, people who serve, whether or not it is within the navy or whether or not it’s first responders as effectively. These are a number of the different groups that we’ve that come right here and that we play with. It is nice to share this expertise with each the brothers and sisters that we serve,” Jones mentioned.
“These 4 o’clock video games are robust, and we’re chilly and moist, nevertheless it type of takes a bit of little bit of struggling to type of do what we’re doing right here,” Joe Guz, an Air Power veteran who had the concept for Hockey Heals, mentioned.
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“I’m from Buffalo, New York, and there is a program they did known as the 11-day energy play for most cancers analysis, they usually play 11 straight days. So, once I moved to Florida and I bought concerned with this program, I learn in regards to the 22 veteran suicides per day, and I believed, ‘you realize what, perhaps we are able to do one thing much like the 11-day energy play,’” Guz mentioned.
All the cash raised from the occasion, together with group charges and objects auctioned off, goes to the Lightning Warriors Hockey program and two nonprofits that supply psychological well being sources to veterans: Mission Roll Name and the Malone Household Basis.
Photos surrounded the ice of veterans who died by suicide, reminding the gamers of what they’re enjoying for.
“These guys have, women and men have, you realize, put loads on the road after which to come back dwelling, they usually’re struggling. It is the least we are able to do to type of prolong an arm and say, ‘you now, when you’re hurting, give us a name.’ I might somewhat get a telephone name at two within the morning than have horrible information the subsequent day. So, the larger this occasion will get, the larger that message goes out,” Guz mentioned.
As of June 22 at round midday, they’ve raised about $60,000.
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The Supply: Data for this story was gathered by FOX 13’s Kailey Tracy.
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