Important message behind new Ohio specialty plate

[00:00:04]Governor Mike DeWine's desk for full passage.

[00:00:06]It includes several special designations, one of them the ability to purchase this license plate.

[00:00:13]On it, the logo for Ohio -based non-profit Save 22 and the words Veteran and First Responder Suicide Prevention.

[00:00:21]The 22 in their name coming from a national study that states an estimated 22 veterans die by suicide every day. It was important for us to find another avenue to get Save 22's name ou.

[00:00:34]Riley Benson is a board member and the director of marketing and communications for the volunteer-based group that's been around since.

[00:00:41]Their mission is to help struggling vets and first responders in any way possible, whether that's coaching and counseling themselves or connecting them to the right resources to get help.

[00:00:50]For the past two years, Save 22's co-founders worked with one of the bill's many co-sponsors, District 51 Rep.

[00:00:58]Jody Semple. I don't think there's any cause greater for Ohioans or Americans to recognize the work that our vet, our active duty, our first responders do on our.

[00:01:13]Salvo hopes the plate will contribute to education about Save 22's mission.

[00:01:18]On top of the plate spreading awareness about Save, a small portion of each sale will go to the non-profit.

[00:01:23]Benson says another income stream will help greatly because they have big goals.

[00:01:27]If they can get the. It will directly impact and help Save 22 and any penny really matters and helps and counts.

[00:01:35]Save 22 holds various gatherings like hikes and fishing events, but they're thinking bigger.

[00:01:40]Benson tells us they're inching closer every day toward transforming this former public pool in Carroll County into a veterans resource center.

[00:01:48]He says the more they can get people to know the Save 22, the more they can act on their mission with this new license plate being part of tha.

[00:01:55]If we can save just one person.

[00:01:58]It's a veteran or a first responder or even someone who doesn't fall in the categories of people that we're, you know, we just want to stop this epidemic.

[00:02:06]Rex Smith, Fox 8 News.