BELLOWS FALLS, Vt. – Pierce-Lawton Unit 37 American Legion Auxiliary is supporting local student Emma Graham of Bellows Falls Union High School in her campaign to fundraise for Stop Soldier Suicide.
Auxiliary Present Marcy Smith will mentor Graham, and Unit 37 will be assisting Emma with her project. Recently, they kicked off her fundraising campaign, and they challenge local businesses to participate.
In her own words, Graham writes, “My name is Emma Graham, and I am a senior at Bellows Falls Union High School. Here at BFUHS, we must complete a senior project in order to graduate. There aren’t many restrictions on what you may choose to do for a senior project, but it should be something that interests you and you enjoy doing.
“For my senior project, I have decided to bike to raise money for veteran suicide prevention. This is a meaningful cause to me and I am hoping to raise awareness on the importance of addressing the mental wellness of our veterans and making sure they have the resources they need to live a quality life. Veterans have a 50% higher suicide rate than the national average, and the least we can do is show them our support and help reduce this number. No one who has served our country should ever feel alone.
“I am looking for donations from local businesses to help make this project a success. My goal is to bike 500 miles, and a small donation can be made for every mile I bike. Due to the weather, I will be biking on my stationary bike and tracking the miles on my phone. I am hoping to raise $1,000, and I plan on donating the money to Stop Soldier Suicide, a veteran founded organization that is leading the fight against soldier suicide by providing the mental health support and personalized care our veterans need.
Please contact me if you would like to contribute to my cause. My phone number is 802-289-9447 and my email is emma.graham@wnesu.com. Thank you for your consideration.”