DVEN Contributes to Veteran Suicide Prevention by Hosting Amateur Racing Program

Disabled Veteran Empowerment Network (DVEN) has established the Rally4Vets amateur racing program to raise awareness about veteran suicide. DVEN was founded by Robert Hess, an American Legion Life Member and a member of the Legion’s Hollywood Post 43. Meanwhile, Chip Ganassi Racing (CGR) and the American Legion are in a partnership in an effort to prevent veteran suicides. It has been noted that 22 veterans commit suicide every day as a result of depression or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

It is important to note that PTSD is a mental health issue that some people develop after experiencing or witnessing a life-threatening event, such as combat, a car accident, a natural disaster, or sexual assault. It is typical to have upsetting memories, have that feeling of being on edge, or experience problems with sleeping after such an event, but if the symptoms persist for more than a few months, it may be PTSD. Fortunately, there are effective PTSD treatments.

The American Legion is encouraging veterans who are feeling the symptoms of PTSD or depression to visit their local post and connect with other veterans. The American Legion is taking a number of steps to prevent veteran suicides, which include peer-to-peer support programs made available in the more than 12,000 American Legions posts throughout the country. More about this can be gleaned from https://www.legion.org/48/252666/american-legion-chip-ganassi-racing-announce-effort-address-reduce-veteran-suicide?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_content=CAR%2048&utm_campaign=Source+Code+Here&utm_term=newsletter.

With regards to the Rally4Vets amateur racing program, DVEN founder Robert Hess says, “Most of us will never race in the Indianapolis 500, but you can certainly race with us in our Top Dog Championship amateur series. Check us out at Rally4Vets.com.” He adds, “The Indianapolis 500 is a very special day since it is just one day before Memorial Day when we honor all of those who have fallen in defense of freedom. All of us need to do what we can to prevent the loss of any more of our veterans. Thank you, Chip Ganassi Racing.”

With Rally4Vets, which was held on October 10, 2021 at Jefferson Circuit, Summit Point Raceway, West Virginia, military veterans, active duty servicemen and servicewomen, and veteran supporters competed for the first time ever in a motorsport competition with the goal of supporting disabled veterans with PTSD. Each service had its own team for a day-long Track Cross event. All funds raised will be utilized for providing service dogs and suicide prevention programs to disabled veterans. For the event, DVEN has partnered with charity organizations Stop Soldier Suicide and Veterans Moving Forward. More about this event can be gleaned at https://vetsrally4vets.com/2021/05/28/chip-ganassi-racing-and-the-american-legion-take-on-veteran-suicide/.

In the 2021 Indianapolis 500, Indycar 500 driver Tony Kanaan drove the American Legion No. 48 car with the name of Medal of Honor recipient Corporal Jason Lee Dunham on the car. Michael Barrett, a former Sergeant Major of the US Marine Corps and a member of the American Legion, said before the race, “The Indy 500 is already the most famous race in motorsports, but today is a day that we are going to look back on in history and say, ‘It started here. It started with this race – the race to end veteran suicide.’ Help us save the lives of veterans who are suffering from the emotional scars of war or other overwhelming stressful life experiences.”

Meanwhile, DVEN contributed to the efforts to prevent veteran suicide by hosting the Rally4Vets amateur race on October 10, 2021. They also have several veteran programs and services, including those for homeless veterans, women veterans, minority veterans, PTSD, mental health, and adaptive sports and special events.

Founded in 2019, DVEN has the mission of identifying those veteran organizations that are offering genuine support for veterans and to offer monetary support for them. It is important to note that there have been several organizations that were found by the Federal Trade Commission and state governments to have other motives other than helping veterans. Their vision is to better the lives of veterans by offering resources and information to help increase their independence and safety to enable them to have the best possible quality of life.

Those interested in learning more about DVEN can check out their website at https://dven.org, or contact them on the phone or through email.