WYOMING, Mich., -- Like the "Ice Bucket Challenge" for ALS that flooded social media last year, Nate Koehn is hoping to make a splash for another serious cause. Koehn, who served in the U.S. Army for 12 years, has launched the 22 Veterans Daily Challenge.
"I started thinking to myself, what can I do here in Michigan to kind of get the word out. I started the challenge... but just with push ups. If you're challenged, just like the ice bucket challenge, you have 22 hours," explained Koehn. "One hour for every veteran that falls victim to suicide every day...film yourself doing it, post it online, everyone likes to see."
If you complete 22 push ups, Koehn is asking for a $10 donation to the charity 22KILL. The group's mission is to empower and honor those who've served and raise veteran suicide awareness. 22Kill has also created a goal of reaching 22 million push ups.
Koehn has a goal of raising $5,000 dollars for the group in 60 days. So far, he's raised just under $900 dollars.
He's also signed on to be a veteran advocate for 22Kill.
"It feels good to know that once the whole challenge is done, I'll be able to send the money to 22Kill so they can further help other veterans," said Koehn. "In the meantime, I'm going to continue to do what I do, offer a voice...that means more to me then the dollars."
Here are the official challenge rules listed on Koehn's fundraising page:
1.) Take video of you completing 22 push ups and post it for everyone to see.
2.) Donate $10 for completing your 22 push ups
3.) Nominate and tag 22 friends you challenge and give them 22 hours to complete the challenge, one hour and one friend for every Veteran.
4.) If anyone cannot or does not complete the challenge, challenge them to donate $22, one dollar for every Veteran.
5.) Add #22pushups or #22kill to your video to show our support.
Together, let's look after our Veterans who struggle every day to survive!!
To learn more about the challenge, or to donate, click here.
To learn more about 22Kill, click here.