9th Annual Lake County 2025 Ruck March for Veterans Path to Hope and Lake County Veterans & Family Services

Illinois has nearly 600,000 veterans - the 10th highest population of veterans in the country with 40% of those over 65 - and now more than ever, they need our help. 

The current political and economic uncertainty so closely behind the isolation, risk, and stress of the pandemic perpetuates the increased need for counseling, companionship, and support services for Lake County veterans and families.

Why 22?
In 2013, the VA released a study indicating that 22 Veterans were dying by suicide per day -- one every 65 minutes. Since then, the number has decreased, but the number 22 definitively shaped how Americans think about military veterans. The number has become a rallying cry to raise awareness of suicide among veterans, especially those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.

This year will mark our 9th Lake County Ruck March. We may not all walk together on the same day, but our passion remains the same: to raise awareness about the veteran suicide epidemic, to honor all Veterans and service members lost to suicide, and to raise funds to help with services, programs, and peer support. 


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