MENTOR, Ohio — Jerry Juncker will walk 14 miles Saturday morning. The commander of AMVESTS Post 1971 in Perry will leave the post and walk to Veterans Park in Mentor — that’s where the third annual Buddy Check Walk will step off.
Wayne Moynihan and his wife, Samantha Sonnie, both lost loved ones to suicide. That’s why they formed Buddy Check.
“It's about building relationships, about letting that veteran that may think there is no hope or may be about in crisis, that there are people in this community that actually love and care,” Moynihan said.
Skylar Davison worked as a bartender at AMVETS Post 1971.
“He was a great kid,” Juncker said.
When the Navy veteran didn’t show up for work, Juncker knew something was wrong. The 23-year-old veteran committed suicide.
“We don't want anybody to have to go through that. We got, we live in the greatest country in the world, and no one should have to go through that and feel that it's, it's time for them to put an end to their lives,” Juncker said.
Skylar’s mother, Gretal Collins, was helping to plan the first Buddy Check walk. But on Aug. 3, 2024, her life changed when Skylar died.
“He was supposed to be walking with me for that first event,” she said.
But now she is on a mission to help others.
"Knowing that it happened to me and my family, I want everybody else to have these resources available to them because I had no clue this walk has shown so much and online resources that I found through other people," Collins said.
Saturday's event at Veterans Park in Mentor will bring together walkers and resources aimed at helping veterans in crisis.
The walk shines a light on a sobering statistic: an estimated 22 veterans die by suicide every day.
Organizers are committed to raising awareness, connecting veterans with support and helping save lives. There will be several Lake County agencies that offer resources to veterans in Veterans Park in Mentor starting at 10 a.m. Saturday morning.
