Dave Wrote A Personal Check For $91,000 This Afternoon And It Wasn't For Gambling Debt

For a quick refresher - On Veterans Day, Chaps tweeted this out from our ZBT meet-up at a bar down the street from HQ:

As we all know, it escalated quickly, because there's a lot of amazing people out there:

And then it REALLY took off when Dave stepped in...

And so today with no fanfare, Dave was hunched over in his cluttered, windowless, closet-sized office writing out a personal check for $91,000, and he handed it over with a smile on his face. He didn't ask for any sort of blog or post or recognition, & if I hadn't thought to whip out my phone at the last second there'd be no record of it.

I'm getting all sappy about it because I'm not exaggerating when I say that check will literally help save lives... Headstrong will be able to assist over 50+ veterans and provide over 1,300 hours of therapy. It means a lot.

If you're one of the people who contributed the other $91,000 through Chaps, you are AMAZING. THANK YOU!

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Last favor, if you're in the military community/veteran space, or have friends & family members who are, check out The Headstrong Project. Even if it's not in your wheelhouse, give 'em a glance so at the very least you can let others know about it if you think they might need it. I think one of the biggest hurdles in mental health is that first step, because when you're having trouble even simple things can feel impossible.. and Headstrong makes that step for vets so incredibly easy in every way. 

One of the founders sent an email that I think helps explain the impact:

At Headstrong, we provide the world class, cost, and bureaucracy free mental healthcare veterans need to recover from their hidden wounds and get back to the best version of themselves.  Both Cons and Kate from ZBT have been through our program and speak openly about their experiences to help other veterans overcome the stigma and get the help they need.  Remarkably, we’ve now treated over 1500 veterans and in 7 years, have had zero suicides. 

It costs us about $5,000 to treat one veteran. This means the money your team raised Monday night will help save the same number of veterans as my battalion has lost [to suicide] since 2004.  For that, I am eternally grateful.

Side note, it goes without saying but whoever you are.. veteran, civilian, first responder, Mets fan... if you're having a tough time you are so worth the time to seek help. You're not alone, everything else can wait & the people who love you, (and future you!!!), will be so glad you did.

And final note, if you want a little more light, fun military flavor in your life, check out @ZeroBlog30!