Veteran’s Kayak PTSD Awareness Challenge

FACT: 22 Veterans commit suicide every day. That’s over 8000 a year.

That staggering statistic has prompted Frank Lombardi, Assistant to the CEO of Independent Group Home Living (IGHL) and a former Captain in the U.S. Army, to raise money and awareness so that IGHL affiliate, Victims Information Bureau of Suffolk (VIBS), can develop a new program to support veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression.

Lombardi and Co-Chair Chris Levi, who lost both legs in 2008 while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq, have organized 44 disabled combat veterans who suffer with PTSD, to kayak across the Long Island Sound on a 22-mile route from Bridgeport, Ct., to Port Jefferson, N.Y. to raise awareness and funds for the new program. The Veterans Kayak PTSD Awareness Challenge will take place on Tuesday, August 29th and will start at 11 am from the downtown Bridgeport Harbor and end between 4-5 pm in the Port Jefferson Harbor next to the ferry landing.

“The goal of this program is to reduce the number of veteran suicides by providing counseling and services through VIBS Family Violence and Rape Crisis Center,” says Lombardi, who has helped dozens of veterans who suffer from PTSD.

Alex Rohman, President, TimeCapital, is working with Lombardi and Levi in coordinating the event. “Bringing awareness to PTSD and the alarming suicide rate is something all Americans should share and recognize,” added Rohman. “While I did not serve my country, I will always serve those who have.”

IGHL provides services for men, women and children who have intellectual disabilities. VIBS has been a pioneer in the domestic violence and rape crisis movements. Both not-for-profit organizations are based on Long Island.

Please watch this powerful video describing the meaningful Veteran’s Kayak PTSD Awareness Challenge: https://www.ighl.org/2017/05/veterans-kayak-trip/

To make a donation, call Frank Lombardi, 631-744-0003 or make a donation on www.ighl.org

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