With live music, festivities and a mission-driven message, Heroes Diving for the Sea Foundation, a local nonprofit serving veterans and first responders through outdoor experiences, is inviting the community to ring in the new year with a celebration that aims to make a real impact.
The foundation was organized two years ago by Kenn Condon, a veteran and father of two Army veterans and two first responders. After learning how scuba diving and other outdoor activities can help alleviate symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), which is common among those who have served, Condon set out to create opportunities for healing.
“Whether it’s mountain biking or hiking or scuba diving, we set up events that have the adaptive element, things that make it easier for people with disabilities to do,” Condon said.
Condon and his team have been tracking PTSD levels among participants and say the activities are making a measurable difference.
“The main goal is to stop the suicides, plain and simple. We've lost too many,” Condon said.
According to the RAND Corporation, the veteran suicide rate is approximately 34.7 per 100,000 people, compared to 17.1 per 100,000 among non-veterans. Heroes Diving for the Sea hopes their work will help shift those numbers.
“In the last year and a half, we've stopped three people from killing themselves. And it's because of what they've said to us and what we've seen. But we've got three that have said, ‘Absolutely, if it wasn't for you guys, that would have been it for us,’” Condon said.
The foundation’s New Year’s celebration will feature performances by local bands, the Shack Owls and the Aaron Ball Band, along with dinner and a silent auction.
“It's not just about playing songs. It's about people. People are always the most important thing in the world,” said Aaron Ball of the Aaron Ball Band.
Dinner is included in the ticket price and will feature a carving station, pasta, hors d’oeuvres, dessert and more throughout the evening.
Proceeds from the silent auction will support the David Price Memorial Scholarship Endowment Fund, which provides scuba equipment for a veteran or first responder participating in the program.
“We want people to feel like they've come and be engaged and their life's hopefully a little better when they leave than when they showed up,” Ball said.
Tickets are $50 and available now on the foundation’s website. The event begins at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 31 at the Idaho Falls Country Club and continues through midnight.
To learn more about the foundation or support the veterans and first responders they serve, visit the Heroes Diving for the Sea Foundation website.