On Jan. 25, 2025, John W. Dill American Legion Post 434 in Brocton, N.Y., hosted a craft show and flea market that was open to the community. Over 20 vendors came to show off their crafts and welcome the public to the event, which offered hot soup and warm hearts to everyone who attended.
“Be the One” was the theme for the show and thanks to the Department of New York, Be the One packets, pins and hats were distributed to every person who walked through the door. Over 250 visitors were made aware of the crisis hotline number and invited to attend the next S.A.V.E. training program, where they could learn more about identifying suicidal ideologies.
The commander of Post 434, Mattie McIntyre, stated, “It is necessary to spread the word about suicide. According to an article in the 2024 Psychiatric Times, over 12 million people attempted suicide. Who better to share the information in a small community than The American Legion at a community event?" The S.A.V.E. (Suicide, Asking about suicide, Validating feelings, Encouraging help and Expediting treatment) program teaches indicators that family, friends, teachers and employers can utilize to help identify warning signs.
Post 434 has hosted events for several peer-to-peer organizations and outreach programs and is a centralized location for S.A.V.E. training. Training was conducted at Post 434 on Oct. 22, 2024. Thanks to Christopher Ramnauth and the Buffalo VA Hospital, over 35 participants learned how to use the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) to help determine the presence of suicidal ideation or behavior during the training.
McIntyre also stated, “What began as a concern for veterans carries well into our communities. As a veteran organization, we need to rely on our community and we also need to provide for our community, especially in rural areas where training, information and help is limited. We have the resources; all we need is the ambition to step out.”

(Kuntz, L., 2024, Psychiatric Times)