MUSKEGON, Mich. — As the nation celebrates Independence Day, an organization in Muskegon is revving up support for veterans’ mental health.
Lighthouse for Veterans held its 6th Annual Heykoop Veteran Memorial Car Show and Benefit Saturday.
“There are a lot of car shows that are held within the area, and I was told that this one specifically had something to do with military, so anything military, I’m always willing to jump on it,” said Air Force Veteran Jermichael Tanner.
The car show aims to support veterans while raising awareness to help prevent veteran suicide.
“I’m still active duty, so I’ve been active duty for about nine years. I’ve encountered, you know, a few people that have, you know, lost the battle with mental health and committed suicide, so it’s definitely very important,” Tanner added.
Veteran George Baker says he, too, understands what that battle is like. Baker struggles with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“I don’t really have an issue with the suicidal problem, but there’s a lot of my guys my age that have come home from Vietnam that have it and a lot of them have passed away from it,” Baker told FOX 17. “The Vietnam veterans and the Afghanistan veterans, your World War II veterans, we all have an issue with our mental health. I mean, I’m not ashamed to say I suffer from it, and I do have help for it. And I believe everybody should support their veterans, the soldiers even active today.”
Natasha Heykoop founded the organization Lighthouse for Veterans in 2017 after she lost her brother, a Marine, to suicide.
“So when he died, we wanted to do something kind of in memory of him, and we thought, what better way than a car show,” Heykoop said. “We started with 34 cars at our first car show and every year we’ve grown. We’re expecting 300 this year.”
Lighthouse for Veterans already has raised more than $100,000 for veteran suicide prevention, helped about 30 veterans and trained more than 150 people in suicide prevention.
“This is just my part, you know, like the veterans have done the hard part. They sacrificed. They put their lives on the line, you know, and unfortunately, some of them come home and the battle is not over for them, so we need to remember them,” Heykoop added.
All the money raised at this event will help in the fight against veteran suicide through community education and veteran retreats.
For more information, click here.
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at (800) 273-8255 or dial 988 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
