By Allison Hiltz
State legislators around the country are dropping and giving 22 pushups in an effort to raise awareness about veterans’ suicide prevention.
They’re not alone—the movement, which is spearheaded by 22Kill.com, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, has garnered support from Hollywood actors, popular musicians and local police departments.
Most show their support by doing 22 pushups 22 days in a row. 22Kill points out that every pushup counts and that their goal is to hit a combined total of 22 million. They chose 22 because it is, according to a 2012 VA report, the average number of veterans who commit suicide every day day.
The socially driven challenge has caught the attention of state legislators nationwide, with some joining in both individually and as a team. In June, California Senator Steve Glazer (D) participated and was then joined by nine other senators who came together to show their support by doing pushups in the Senate chamber. In Delaware, state representatives and senators were joined by members of the military and Governor Jack Markell.
They were also joined by Jacob Di Sabatino, who started a similar movement as a high school senior last year and helps raise awareness about suicide among veterans. Likewise, Pennsylvania Representatives Doyle Heffley (R), Rosemary Brown (R) and Gary Day (R) also joined in. Other legislators who have shown their support are Colorado Representative Jonathan Singer (D), Massachusetts Senator Vinny deMacedo (R) and Texas Representative Jason Isaac (R).
As with most awareness campaigns that are primarily driven by social media, each participant is tasked with challenging others to join in and to share their online commitment using the hashtags #22kill and #22pushups. If you or a state legislator you know have joined in the movement, please let us know by tweeting us at @NCSLorg.
To learn more about 22Kill and their partner organizations, visit their website. You can also learn more about state efforts to improve veterans’ health and well-being by visiting the NCSL Taskforce on Military and Veterans Affairs page.
Allison Hiltz is a research analyst in NCSL's State Services Division.
Email Allison