Every Step Counts: Trail of Hope 5K Raises Awareness for Veteran Mental Health
Laredo is stepping up. The Trail of Hope 5K Challenge: Remembering 17; Supporting the Many is a newly launched event that took place on September 27 at Father McNaboe Park, organized by Eric S. Castillo of ECI Project Niños and Randy Villanueva of the Military Veterans Peer Network.
Its mission … raise awareness around veteran suicide, provide mental health resources, and spark community healing.
Beyond the run itself, the event includes a 1K “Guardian Walk,” a free family fair with wellness booths, yoga, dance, and local food vendors. A modest entry fee of $17 helps fund local prevention efforts, with the first 200 runners and first 76 walkers receiving medals. The organizers chose “Remembering 17” to highlight the national average: 17.6 veterans die by suicide every day.
Why It Matters for Disabled Veterans …
- Silent Struggles Count Twice
Disabled veterans often battle isolation, mobility or transportation issues, and mental health challenges that aren’t visible. Events like this help shine a light on what too many live with alone.
- Access to Resources
The fair portion of this event isn’t just symbolic. Mental health service providers, peer support networks, and family wellness tools being available in one place help veterans who might otherwise struggle to navigate the system.
- Community and Connection Heal
Part of the 5K’s power is people coming together. Support from peers, family, and local leaders — knows you’re not forgotten — is a buffer against despair. The shared walk, run, or festival isn’t just physical; it’s relational and reclaiming.
Community Voices and Moments That Made It Real
“The Trail of Hope 5K is more than a run; it’s a day of unity, remembrance and support for our community.” ~ Randy Villanueva, service coordinator for Military Veterans Peer Network
“We lose 17 lives to suicide every day … We should help them and consider what they need.” ~ Councilwoman Vanessa Perez, speaking at the event announcement
In Laredo, suicide isn’t an abstract number. Local leaders noted that in recent months, the number of veterans lost has already matched or exceeded previous totals — showing how acute the crisis is.
What Disabled Veterans Can Do Now
- Join or Support Local Events
Attending (or volunteering) at events like the Trail of Hope 5K helps build local awareness and reduces stigma. If a 5K seems out of reach physically, even walking in the 1K or attending the fair helps.
- Seek Peer Networks
Connecting with other veterans who’ve traveled similar paths through mental health challenges — peer support groups, veteran‐centered nonprofits — can be lifesaving.
- Use Available Mental Health Resources
If you’re in crisis or feeling overwhelmed, reach out: VA programs, local clinics, national hotlines like the Veterans Crisis Line (988) should be part of your toolkit. Don’t wait for an event to remind you there’s help.
- Speak Out
Sharing your story can be hard. But hearing others voice the same pain or the same hope is powerful. It lets others know they’re not alone — sometimes that’s the first step.
Final Thoughts … Not Forgotten.
Veteran suicide is a scar on our national promise — a promise that serving the country won’t mean being forgotten. The Trail of Hope 5K reminds us every life matters, and every action — yours, mine, ours — can help break chains of silence.
We don’t have to wait for one day a year. Every day is an opportunity: to check in, to fight stigma, to care. Because for many veterans, hope isn’t just a word. It’s a lifeline.
For more stories and support around veteran mental health, visit DisabledVeterans.org.
The Veterans Healthcare Administration, unlimited legal resources and immunity, unlimited demand, hard to sue them and they can barely be fired. That’s a recipe for disaster. Something serious needs to change. Need complete overhaul or just go to an insurance program. It’s a bad arrangement as it is.
Raise awareness of people looking to fuck people at Veterans Healthcare Administration, with bogus personality disorder accusations. Many of them unqualified and have written their own DSM. Shame on the Veterans Healthcare Administration for this hidden scandal.
The authoritarian assholes at VHA are more interested in protecting themselves legally and of course character assassination and seeking ways to disqualify people from care. The dirty mother fuckers oppose the law and the poor culture in there is horrible… and they can’t be sued thanks to the derelict Supreme Court. Their insubordinate asses can barely be fired either.