Sept. 14—NORWICH — The Easterseals Veterans Rally Point will receive a $462,000 federal grant to support mental health and suicide prevention programs for veterans, the state’s congressional delegation announced Friday.
The Easterseals Veterans Rally Point, at 24 Stott Ave. in the Norwich Business Park, is unique in the country for its combination of veteran services. The center offers group and individual programs, a fitness center, meals, a recently expanded food pantry, and referrals for related services. The Rally Point is operated by Easterseals Capital Region & Eastern Connecticut.
The new grant, announced Friday by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, both D-Conn., and U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District, was awarded through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Staff Sergeant Parker Gordon Fox Suicide Prevention Grant Program.
The award is named after Fox, a sniper instructor at the U.S. Army Infantry School in Fort Benning, Georgia, who committed suicide on July 21, 2020 at age 25.
“Easterseals Veterans Rally Point does important work to support the health and well-being of veterans in Connecticut,” Courtney said in a press release announcing the grant.
Courtney said he and his team have been working with Easterseals since March on the organization’s application for the competitive grant.
Robin Sharp, president and CEO of Easterseals Capital Region & Eastern Connecticut, said a coalition of service providers worked on the grant application and will provide the services funded by the grant. This includes the state Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, the Tribal Health Council and SERAC, a regional agency for behavioral health services.
“By providing these funds to the people of Connecticut who have served our country, we are taking an important step toward ensuring our military knows they are not alone,” Sharp said in the release.
Sharp said the first program will take place at the Norwich Rally Point, but that Easterseals’ goal is to create a “model of outreach and connection that can be replicated across the state” to reduce military and veteran suicides.
“Veterans are six times more likely to die by suicide than in combat, a shocking statistic and a call to action,” Blumenthal said in the release. “(The grant) will provide Connecticut veterans with much-needed, life-saving suicide prevention programs and services.”
The grant was announced a week after Blumenthal and Courtney toured Rally Point as part of a ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the expanded food bank in partnership with the Gemma Moran United Way/Labor Food Center. The food bank provides dry goods, fresh produce and dairy products, frozen meats and prepared meals.
Veterans Rally Point will participate in the Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs’ annual Stand Down 2024 event from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday. The event is open to veterans and service members and will offer information on a variety of services, including housing assistance, legal assistance, employment and education services, medical and dental screenings, personal care items and vaccinations. Lunch will be provided.
Help is available 24/7 for anyone experiencing suicidal thoughts. Call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 988 or text HOME to 741741. For more information on suicide prevention, visit www.preventsuicidect.org.
c.bessette@theday.com
