MAKE HERE MATTER

Suicide is a complex issue that affects Veterans from all backgrounds.  Not all Veterans are connected to a veteran organization, meaning the need to have knowledge and understanding of available resources within the community is valuable.  

The Armadillo Project was created after the loss of my son Travis to suicide. His return home after his Marine Corp service proved to be difficult. He and I both sought help. We both found the stigma of suicide to be a barrier for assistance. We learned people felt they were able to judge if a person "was really thinking of ending their life.” 

The Armadillo Project was created to be the resource I would have wanted when Travis and I were trying to find answers and support. 

During the time Travis was home after his honorable discharge, we talked often.

In the last 2 weeks of his life I talked with him daily. I would ask how things were going and he would reply, “I am Here”. Although I did know what we were dealing with, I did not understand the true impact those words meant.

Our slogan Make Here Matter, is a direct result of Travis’s words as he tried to find a way out of his depression.

Make Here Matter, now is the umbrella of activities to create opportunities for people to spend time together, to support our veterans, to be part of trying something new and make here matter.