Clearway Community Solar Supports Veterans’ Mental Health

CW: mental health, war, suicide

Each year, Veterans’ Day (November 11), provides us all with a reminder of those in military service to our country — both in the past and in the present — and sacrifices they’ve made. Unfortunately, many veteran service members struggle with their mental health, and, sadly, the risk of suicide is increasing among veterans and active service members.

Mental health concerns and suicide numbers among veterans who have served in post 9-11 wars have increased dramatically. VA researchers have shown that 11% of vets have complained of increased depression. Over 1.7 million veterans received mental health services from the VA Center in 2018 alone.

Clearway Cares About Veterans

At Clearway, we want to give back to those who gave to our country by providing support, financial help, and community to veterans. On November 18, 2021, Clearway’s VETRN EIG hosted a presentation in which we shared ways we can support struggling veterans and their loved ones — those who work for Clearway and those in the communities where we live. Our guest speaker was Warrant Officer Clifford Bauman, a 34-year survivor of a suicide attempt who has suffered from post-war PTSD. Cliff, through his struggles and treatment, became a champion of veteran mental health and suicide prevention.

At Clearway Community Solar, we’re serious about supporting veterans. We recently donated $5,000 to the Iron Freedom Foundation, a non-profit that provides outdoor team-building activities to veterans, intended to develop and support individual growth and skills to move them forward in their lives.

If you are a vet struggling with mental health issues or if you know a veteran who is struggling, you can find mental health resources from the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs.