Last weekend, over the Veterans Day celebrations, Active Heroes was excited to partner with Gordon Biersch of Louisville, and release a brand new beer, the Veterans Day IPA! We worked with 16 year Coast Guard Veteran and General Manager of the Louisville Gordon Biersch, Jason, to time the release of the IPA so that it would coincide with Veterans Day Weekend. This was in addition to a collaboration that allowed all former and current military service members to enjoy a free tasting menu on the evening on November 10th. Lots of veterans and military family members showed up and a great time was had by all. Additionally, as this event was held at Fourth Street Live, and a Lynyrd Skynyrd concert was in town for the evening, there was a fun crowd from all over in the establishment. Active Heroes had an information booth set up near the entrance to welcome military families and discuss with those our mission of eliminating veteran suicide and helping military families. There were plenty of people visiting from out of town, as far away as Connecticut and Wisconsin that said, “oh we’d love to get involved, but we don’t live in Louisville”. That’s the great thing about Active Heroes being a nationwide organization! We discussed with them the opportunity to participate or lead events in their area, as well as becoming trained as a suicide prevention peer mentor to help those struggling in their hometowns.

The veteran suicide crisis is nationwide, and so are we. Over the Veterans Day weekend, volunteer led events occurred across the country, from Boston to North Dakota, Idaho to Kansas! Every event is an Active Challenge event, designed to get military families out and grow their physical fitness as well as strengthening mental resilience. Always led by a trained peer mentor so if someone participating is struggling, or a participant knows someone who could use a check in, we can reach out and support them. These events make an impact. Invariably, after each event, the conversation is raised, and someone reaches out. As the seasons change, the sun goes away and winter comes upon us, this is often a challenging time for those who may be fighting the internal fight. Check in on those you know, and talk with those you don’t. Active Heroes is working to make a difference, and we’re grateful for all of our supporters in this holiday season.