Marshfield (OnFocus) – Jason Johnson, a new member of Sons of the American Legion, recently completed the Engage 22 Run, a suicide awareness virtual walk/run to bring awareness to the fact that every day, 22 veterans take their own lives.
Encouraged to participate by Paget Equipment owner and CEO Jim Reigel, Johnson signed up after he learned about the cause.
“Jim and I talk about running a few times a month, and he happened to mention this event,” said Johnson. “After looking into the event, I felt that it would be a good way to push me to run farther and help raise money for a worthy cause and increase awareness for our veterans.”
In this first year of participation, Johnson completed a 22-mile run.
RELATED: https://www.onfocus.news/engage-22-event-raises-awareness-of-veteran-suicides/
“I’m training to run my first marathon and thought this would be a good fit mid way in my training,” he said. “I feel that this is a good cause. I feel that more should be done to try to help the veterans who are struggling, especially with mental health.”
Johnson’s grandfather served in WWII and his most vivid memories of his grandfather were at various American Legion events. During a recent American Legion Post 54 meeting, donations were made to support Johnson’s run, which he then chose to donate to the new A.L.F dog program for the Sons of the American Legion.
“I feel proud that both of my grandfathers were veterans and I can only hope that they would be proud of me for raising awareness for this cause,” he said.
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Author: Breanna Butler
Breanna Butler is an award-winning multimedia producer born and raised in Central Wisconsin. She enjoys exploring and writing about the community. She lives in Marshfield with her husband and furry family.
