DOVER, Del. – IAVA, which stands for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, is the largest non-profit, nonpartisan organization representing post 9/11 veterans and their families. IAVA will join NASCAR driver Cale Conley in stressing veteran's issues at Dover International Speedway on Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series event. IAVA's logo is featured on the hood of the #33 IAVA Chevrolet Camaro.
"We are proud to stand by Cale this Saturday," said IAVA Founder and CEO Paul Rieckhoff. “His support for veterans is outstanding: he met with many of our local veterans this summer and it's amazing to have someone like Cale join our fight to combat veteran suicide.”
Dover is a stop in the recently launched 42-city Convoy to Combat Suicide. This stop will help raise awareness in Delaware. The top priority in 2014 is to reverse the veteran suicide rate, which is at 22 veterans per day.
IAVA representatives will be available to unite IAVA members and supporters and spread the word about ways to get involved with IAVA's fight to reduce the trend of veteran's suicides.
The Convoy event will include local IAVA veteran's facts about critical issues in Dover and several ways to get involved. IAVA's 2014 member survey showed that 40% of respondents said they know at least one Iraq or Afghanistan veteran that has died by suicide and 47% know someone that has attempted suicide. The survey also said that 69% of respondents think Congress is doing a poor job improving the lives of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
With the help of Cale and other Convoy partners, IAVA is encouraging all Americans to recognize the issue and join the campaign. After visiting more than 40 cities in the nation, the Convoy will meet on Veterans Day in New York City.
IAVA is empowering its almost 300,000 members and supporters to serve as a ground force for outreach, support, and advocacy, and it will travel the country, turning public attention to the issue of veteran suicide and promoting real solutions.
