Mission Brief

AMERICA’S HEROES ENJOYING RECREATION OUTDOORS AHERO

Mission Brief

Military and Veteran suicide* statistics are hard to pin down, but overall, the figure ranges from 20 to 22 such suicides occurring each day.

The mission of AHERO is to reverse the upward trajectory of this statistic – and to do that by recognizing and uplifting those who are most at-risk of adding themselves to it. They are the men and women whose military-service injuries to body, spirit, and soul has made them more likely to take their own lives. AHERO works toward this goal by introducing them to programs and resources that can increase their overall quality of life. These include: • Developing an informal support network of Veterans across the country. • Encouraging constructive communication and engagement. • Boosting Veteran morale with shared outdoor activities and meaningful gatherings. • Drawing on our interconnected organizations that provide additional important holistic pathways to healing and wellness.

AHERO will accomplish this by welcoming Veterans into communities willing to donate the time, recreational equipment and the natural and financial resources necessary to support events that facilitate fellowship, communication, and mentoring. Through these activities, AHERO will establish and support a network of Veterans with personal experience in learning to deal with the emotional and physical wounds caused by the stress of service and combat. The network will be self-sustaining and support Veterans across the United States of America.

On September 11, 2001, our courageous First Responders rose to be the first line of defense against a focused terrorist attack on our nation. Since then, the country has seen numerous occasions of bravery and self-sacrifice by the dedicated men and women who fight our fires, protect our lives, and provide us with emergency medical treatment and transport. AHERO therefore counts America’s First Responders among those uniformed service members (many of whom are military Veterans in their own right) and Veterans we serve.

AHERO usa is a 100 percent volunteer-run, 501(c)(3) charitable organization. More than 95 percent of all donations received go directly toward benefitting the Veterans and First Responders we serve.*

*For purposes of the AHERO mission, the word “Veteran” refers to all who are currently serving our great country in a military capacity or have previously served in any branch of our United States Armed Forces.