May 2022 marked the beginning of a new chapter in the fight against military suicide, as Stop Soldier Suicide made its first dedicated forray into the world of gaming and streaming.
Over the course of May, which doubles as Mental Health Awareness Month and Military Appreciation Month, creators playing a variety of titles (including Overwatch, Ark, and more) combined to raise enough resources to fund more than 140 hours of personalized support for the veterans and service members in our care.
Though new to the space, we were humbled to receive the support of several established creators early on. One of those who joined forces with SSS right away was Senile Sarge of the Rally Point Gaming Community, for whom our mission and his passion were a perfect match.
“I’ve lost too many of my friends from my time in the service to suicide, and I’ve even lost family members,” Sarge told us. “To have an organization like Stop Soldier Suicide that’s focused on service members, veterans and their families means the world to me.
“I took this to the Rally Point community and proposed doing a charity event for SSS. Without hesitation, they said yes. The bottom line is, if we can save even one person’s life, we’ve done our job.”
Sarge and his community truly leaned into the fight, significantly exceeding their fundraising goal before the end of the month. For many of them, the connection was about much more than a shared love of gaming.
“I never served, but I survived a suicide attempt in my early 20s,” wrote one community member who chose to remain anonymous. “Regardless of your walk of life, you deserve to be loved, cared for, and to continue living life to its fullest.”
We’re incredibly grateful to Sarge, his community, and all the creators and streamers who have made the gaming space such an exciting possibility for SSS. If you’d like to learn more about how you can get involved, please visit our Stream for SSS landing page.