Challenge raises awareness of veteran suicide
State Rep. Doyle Heffley is issuing a challenge to his constituents: Do 22 pushups a day for 22 days.
The reason behind the challenge is simple. It aims to raise awareness that suicide is a growing cause of death among veterans across the United States.The number 22 is symbolic because, according to a Veterans Affairs suicide data report released in 2012, every day, an estimated 22 veterans are "killed by suicide" across the nation.Heffley said the challenge begins in Carbon County onSaturday and will conclude just after noon on June 11 in the upper park in Lehighton following a veteran speaker during the Carbon County Veterans' Expo.Dare to acceptThose who accept the challenge, according to the rules on 22KILL.com, must record themselves doing 22 pushups and then post it on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram with the hashtags #22pushups for #rep122vetexpo for Heffley's challenge, and #22KILL to be counted in the global movement.In the beginning of the video, you should state your name or name of the organization you are representing and why or for whom you are doing the challenge.Heffley urges groups, companies, schools, sports teams and more to do the pushups together.Choosing to helpWhile Heffley is not taking money for the challenge, there are organizations that are asking for the public's help.Groups or people who would like to participate, as well as contribute financially to the challenge, can visit
www.22kill.com/22-honor-pushups, a global movement created by veterans on a mission to raise awareness of veteran suicide and mental health issues; or
http://stopsoldiersuicide.org, a civilian not-for-profit organization dedicated to preventing active duty and veteran suicide.The mastermind behind the challengeThe 22 Push Up Challenge was started in April 2015 by veteran Nate Koehn, who served in the United States Army for 12 years.He told Fox17 in Michigan that the reason he started the challenge was to raise awareness of a very real problem veterans face."I started thinking to myself, what can I do here in Michigan to kind of get the word out," he told Fox17 last year.At the time, Koehn challenged veterans to do 22 pushups in a 22-hour period, film it and post it online, much like the ALS ice bucket challenge that went viral last year.For those who completed the challenge, Koehn also asked them to donate $10 to the charity 22KILL.On 22KILL's website, the organization hopes to reach 22 million pushups to honor those who serve and raise awareness for veteran suicide prevention."Every push up counts so don't be shy to show your support for our veterans," the organization states. "You can do as many or few pushups as you can or choose. Whether it's one or 100 in a row, we will accept them however they come. They can be assisted (on your knees), incline (on a desk/wall), or if you physically are unable to do any, we'll even take air pushups. They all count toward the goal as long as you follow the instructions."Pushups are counted from the videos you post.For more information on the challenge, visit Heffley's Facebook event page at