VA Portland Mental Health Summit Celebrates Community Champions in Veteran Suicide Prevention

A centerpiece of the summit was the presentation of Community Partner Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations whose work demonstrates that suicide prevention extends beyond the walls of a VA facility. The awards celebrated community champions who are building connection, supporting Veterans during times of crisis, and promoting lethal means safety—three critical areas of community-based suicide prevention.

“VA can’t do this work alone, we are proud to collaborate with our community partners to ensure Veterans know that help IS available and people DO care,” said Ashley Taylor, Community Engagement & Partnerships Coordinator with VA Portland’s Suicide Prevention Team. 

The awards reflect the priorities of the Community-Based Interventions for Suicide Prevention (CBI-SP) initiative and support the goals of the National Strategy for Preventing Veteran Suicide (2018–2028). At the heart of that work is a simple but powerful idea: Veterans should not have to navigate difficult moments alone.

Building Connection: Creating Places Where Veterans Belong

Connection is one of the most important protective factors in suicide prevention. Across VA Portland’s service area, community partners are creating opportunities for Veterans and their families to develop relationships, find resources and experience a sense of belonging.

Rebecca Wallis was recognized as a Champion at Building Connection for creating a welcoming and consistent space where Veterans can come together. What began as a weekly coffee gathering has grown into monthly breakfasts attended by more than 50 Veterans and community members. Through guest speakers, resource sharing and conversation, Wallis has created a community where Veterans can build relationships and know they have a place to turn.

Kim Liszka, recognized for her work with the Reveille and Retreat Project, creates opportunities for Veterans to connect, heal and build community beyond their military service. Her work demonstrates how intentional spaces for shared experiences can reduce isolation and strengthen networks of support.

In Clark County, Kyle Andrews provides another example of connection through his leadership with Pacific Northwest (PNW) Vets. Each month, approximately 20–30 Veterans and family members gather without membership requirements, formal agendas or expectations. The emphasis is simply on showing up and being together. That welcoming approach creates authentic peer connections that can extend well beyond a single gathering.

Brad Pietzyk and Sean Davis, recognized for their work with Rogue Cell and the documentary Battlegrounds and Backroads, use storytelling and shared experiences to bring Veterans, families and community members together. Their work creates opportunities for authentic conversations about the Veteran experience while strengthening community and belonging.

At the Hillsboro Elks Lodge, Tom Hrabal has transformed Joe Mudd Coffee into a trusted hub for Veterans to connect, exchange information and learn about available resources. By bringing together Veterans and local Veteran-serving organizations, Hrabal has helped turn a simple coffee gathering into a broader network of support.

Together, these champions demonstrate that connection does not always require a formal program. Sometimes it starts with coffee, breakfast, a story, or simply providing a place where a Veteran knows they are welcome.

Supporting Veterans in Times of Crisis

The summit also recognized community partners who respond when Veterans and their families are facing some of their most difficult moments.

Fort Kennedy was recognized for providing Veteran-centered assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness, financial hardship and other challenges. Through meals, clothing, hygiene supplies, housing and employment assistance, benefits navigation and connections to community organizations, Fort Kennedy's Veteran Navigation Specialists help individuals identify a path forward based on their unique circumstances.

Gung-Ho Ministries was recognized for walking alongside Veterans during difficult and uncertain times. Through compassionate outreach, practical assistance and connections to community resources, the organization helps Veterans navigate challenges while reinforcing an important message: they do not have to face those challenges alone.

In Cowlitz County, HEVIN — Helping Every Veteran In Need — bridges gaps for Veterans and families who need assistance with issues such as housing, transportation, food, medical needs and home repairs. By mobilizing community members and organizations around individual needs, HEVIN turns community connections into practical support.

Portland Street Response was recognized for its compassionate, trauma-informed response to mental and behavioral health crises in the Portland community. Its multidisciplinary teams use de-escalation, stabilization, safety planning and connections to services to help individuals experiencing crisis. Through collaboration with VA and other community partners, Portland Street Response strengthens the larger network of support available to Veterans.

Project Respond provides another critical piece of that community safety net through 24/7 mobile behavioral health crisis response in Multnomah County. By bringing trained mental health professionals directly into the community, Project Respond can provide timely assessment, de-escalation, safety planning and connections to ongoing care during critical moments.

Returning Veterans Project was recognized for removing financial barriers to mental and physical health care for Veterans, Service Members and military families throughout Oregon and Southwest Washington. Through a network of volunteer providers, the organization creates additional pathways to confidential, individualized care and works alongside VA, Vet Centers and community organizations to strengthen the broader continuum of support.

These partners illustrate how crisis response can begin long before a Veteran reaches a hospital or emergency department—and how community organizations can help provide support before, during and after a crisis.

Promoting Lethal Means Safety

Another group of Community Partner Award recipients was recognized for their work promoting lethal means safety, an evidence-informed suicide prevention strategy that focuses on creating time and distance between a person experiencing a suicidal crisis and access to lethal means.

Donna-Marie Drucker, of the Oregon Firearm Safety Coalition, was recognized for making firearm safety and secure storage practical, accessible and community-centered. By building partnerships among Veterans, families, firearm owners and community organizations, Drucker helps make conversations about firearm safety approachable while expanding access to safe-storage resources.

In Jefferson County, Laura Moore of Jefferson County Veteran Services, Duane Ledford of Stay Center in Madras, and Cecilia Ledford of Jefferson County Public Health have made firearm safety education and access to gun locks part of routine community outreach. Their partnership has helped create ready-to-distribute gun-lock packets and incorporate safe-storage education into community and home visits.

The partnership also demonstrates how lethal means safety can be woven into everyday interactions rather than reserved for moments of crisis. At Stay Center, Veterans can access practical safety resources while participating in weekly coffee socials that provide opportunities for connection and supportive conversations.

Ian Michael, Oregon's LGBTQ+ Veteran Coordinator, was recognized for making lethal means safety education accessible to LGBTQ+ Veterans and the broader Veteran community. Through Veteran Villages at Pride events, Michael has helped distribute more than 400 gun safes, 300 medication lock boxes and 500 cable locks, while creating welcoming spaces for conversations about firearm and medication safety.

The work reflects Oregon's commitment to serving Veterans Beyond the Military Uniform by recognizing the diverse communities and experiences Veterans bring with them.

James Dixon, Multnomah County's Black Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator, was recognized for incorporating culturally responsive lethal means safety conversations into youth and family suicide prevention efforts. Because young people up to age 24 may include current or former Service Members and Veterans, this work creates an important opportunity to reach military-connected individuals who may not otherwise engage with traditional Veteran suicide prevention programs.

Representing student Veterans, Nikki Gold was recognized for bringing lethal means safety education directly to campus communities. Through trainings and safe-storage distribution events, Gold helps student Veterans and their peers learn practical ways to safely secure firearms and medications before a crisis occurs.

Across these efforts, the message is consistent: safe storage is a practical prevention tool that can help create time and distance during a suicidal crisis.

A Community Effort

The FY26 Mental Health Summit served as an opportunity not only to recognize these partners, but also to reinforce the importance of collaboration between VA and the communities it serves. The event highlighted an important truth about suicide prevention: no single organization can do it alone.

The Community Partner Award recipients represent a wide range of organizations, professions and community settings, from coffee gatherings and Veteran organizations to public health agencies, crisis response teams, campuses and community-based service providers.

By building connection, responding to Veterans in times of crisis and promoting lethal means safety, community partners across Oregon and Southwest Washington are helping create communities where Veterans can thrive and where Veterans and their families know they are not alone.