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(THOMAS WALLNER | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Mobile Vet Center from Abilene, which offers free mental health services tailored to rural veterans and their families. Shown from left to right are John Draper, Adam LaVine, David Gann, Dan Ferris and Tony Lipscomb.
After making a trip for the Food Truck Championship of Texas, the Mobile Vet Center of Abilene will make another stop in Graham this weekend for the Celebrate Freedom event.
The Mobile Vet Center provides space for confidential counseling of veterans, service members and their families at no cost in a non-medical setting. The truck is used to provide outreach to eligible individuals in communities distant from existing services, such as rural areas.
“They’re designed for rural America. It’s a huge segue so that way our county veterans, our rural veterans, can get the mental health support and the help that they need. And not even just for the veterans, it’s for the spouses (and) it’s for the kids. It’s a wonderful tool,” Young County Veterans Service Officer Adam LaVine said in a previous interview.
The truck will be at the corner of Fourth Street and Elm Street from 3:45 p.m. until the end of the event.
The event will be ending at 8 p.m. with a performance by The Last Plainsmen and a fireworks show.
The truck will be gauging the need in the area for a future visit with counselors. At the location will be LaVine as well as members of the American Legion Post 34 in support of the Celebrate Freedom event.
The month of June serves as a call for awareness of post-traumatic stress disorder throughout the country and that support is extending to those suffering in Young County through local efforts.
“June is PTSD Awareness Month and mental health in general,” LaVine said. “It is great to put a spotlight on it so that those that suffer in silence or suffer by themselves know that they are supported and not alone and that there’s help and there’s people that care about them.”
The national American Legion organization has been promoting their Be The One initiative to reduce the rate of veteran suicide. The initiative is to help lessen the stigma associated with mental health treatment and empower those to take action when they are at risk.
The organization is hoping to train 100,000 individuals in suicide prevention by the end of 2025, with free training from Columbia University Lighthouse Project available at legion.org/advocacy/be-the-one.
A local buddy check in coordination with LaVine and the American Legion Post 34 is being held throughout the month of June.
Every Saturday in June from 4-6 p.m., with the support of Burger N Billiards, there will be a weekly Buddy Check at the restaurant located at 1222 Hwy. 16 South in Graham.
“Just to make sure that they know that they’re supported, people care about them. It doesn’t have to be a full-on counseling session. It’s just a matter of comradery and bringing us together,” LaVine said. “…They won’t have to worry about their meal. We have paired with the American Legion Post 34 and everyone will eat free.”
LaVine can be contacted via his cell phone at 314-584-9722, or by email at a.lavine@youngcounty.org. The veterans service office for Young County is located at the Young County Annex at 417 Second St. in Graham.
