JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – September is Suicide Awareness Month, and Jacksonville is stepping up for its heroes.
On Thursday, the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena filled with support and conversations as more than 90 organizations came together for the second annual Veterans Matter event.
The one-day gathering offered on-site support and services from mental health care and primary medical screenings to housing assistance, employment resources, and VA benefits enrollment — all with a single goal: eliminate barriers and build connections.
“This is one place where a veteran who may be struggling with a multitude of different needs… all of their needs can be met at one place at one time,” said Kathryn Sperry, Suicide Prevention Program Supervisor.
Organizers say events like this can be a lifeline for veterans navigating the difficult transition from active duty to civilian life — a transition that can often feel isolating, overwhelming, and lonely.
For Samuel Hall, a former Airborne Cryptologic Linguist in the U.S. Air Force, that support has been life-changing.
Hall said that after years of struggling with PTSD, trauma, and substance abuse, finding programs and people who understood what he was going through helped him begin to heal.
“I needed help, and I got help, and today, the help is giving me so much clarity and peace of mind,” Hall said. “I know today I don’t need to use substances to feel better.”
He says knowing there are so many resources at his fingertips — from calling his sponsor or the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline to walking into a meeting or events like this — has given him hope and stability.
“I gotta be strong, but strength is asking for help — true strength is actually knowing that you don’t have all the answers,” Hall said. “With my program and the people I have in my life… my mother, my sister, my father, my grandma… all the support that I have is just me saying that I need help, and that’s what’s going to get me the help that I need.”
Hall says for a long time, he felt alone and believed life wasn’t worth living — but today, he knows otherwise.
“It’s so beautiful, like today is a beautiful day,” Hall said. “Here we see that veterans… they go through trauma, PTSD, you name it — yet they’re able to smile and laugh. It’s a genuine smile, it’s a genuine laughter. It’s so beautiful that life is worth living, and for a long time I didn’t believe that… but today I know that I believe it, and I want to help the next veteran to know that too.”
Organizers hope this year’s event will not only connect veterans to care, but also help spark conversations and maybe even save lives.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988, or chat via 988lifeline.org to connect with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Copyright 2025 by WJXT News4JAX – All rights reserved.