About Us

Working as a nurse, at a local hospital, Kelly was confronted with the lack of resources available to her fellow servicemen and women suffering from PTSD.  She struggled with the continuous "revolving door" of hospital admissions, detox and drug withdraw.  She knew the key to breaking this cycle needed to be aimed at understanding PTSD, n

Working as a nurse, at a local hospital, Kelly was confronted with the lack of resources available to her fellow servicemen and women suffering from PTSD.  She struggled with the continuous "revolving door" of hospital admissions, detox and drug withdraw.  She knew the key to breaking this cycle needed to be aimed at understanding PTSD, not the drug and alcohol addiction. Seeing a need, in 2015, Kelly formed Buddy Check 22: Veteran Suicide Awareness to provide sensible solutions by partnering and networking with veteran groups in Kankakee and Iroquois County.  We've consistently grown over the last 11 years.  All thanks to the helping hands of this amazing community!

Our service members face unique burdens of stress and sacrifice every day. Transitioning into civilian life can be difficult for many returning service members. The loss of military structure can cause returning soldiers and sailors to feel lost or alone. Some struggle and attempt to replace the loss of camaraderie or the rush of combat w

Our service members face unique burdens of stress and sacrifice every day. Transitioning into civilian life can be difficult for many returning service members. The loss of military structure can cause returning soldiers and sailors to feel lost or alone. Some struggle and attempt to replace the loss of camaraderie or the rush of combat with negative habits. Others find the hyper-vigilance required to stay alive in a combat zone now works against them. Unfortunately, far too many become victims of these hidden wounds. On average 22 veterans commit suicide each day. We at Buddy Check 22 feel that even 1 veteran suicide is too many. Our main goals are to spread awareness about veteran suicide and raise funds for veterans who suffer in the aftermath of their military service.