Wisconsin Veteran Suicide Prevention
Reaching Out Saves Lives
A collaborative statewide public awareness campaign dedicated to preventing Veteran suicide in Wisconsin. Research-driven, community-rooted, and guided by Veterans themselves.
Wisconsin Veterans are dying by suicide at a rate that demands community-level action. ReachOutWis.org was created to address this crisis through evidence-based public education, community training, and responsible means safety — coordinated across the entire state.
Our approach is built on research: we developed our messaging through Veteran focus groups, measure our impact through rigorous survey research, and continuously refine our campaign based on outcomes data. We use state-of-the-art public health marketing to deliver the right messages, to the right people, at the right time.
We are a coalition — not a single organization. Our strength comes from partnerships built across academia, healthcare, Veterans organizations, community groups, and the media. Together, we are reaching every corner of Wisconsin.
Clinical psychologist at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center and Associate Professor at MCW. Dr. Berger has led the ReachOutWis.org project through all three funded phases, driving both the research design and community partnership strategy. His clinical work with Veterans informs every aspect of campaign messaging.
bberger@mcw.edu · (414) 902-0364Director of the MCW Comprehensive Injury Center and nationally recognized expert in community-based participatory research. Dr. Kohlbeck leads program development, evaluation methodology, and the statewide survey research components of the campaign.
skohlbeck@mcw.eduRetired U.S. Army General and CEO of the War Memorial Center, Milwaukee. Gen. Winski provides executive leadership, community credibility, and organizational infrastructure for the campaign's community partner role. His military background and leadership experience are invaluable in building trust with Wisconsin's Veteran community.
warmemorialcenter.org →U.S. Army Veteran and certified peer support specialist serving as the primary Veteran Peer Specialist and Ground Campaign outreach coordinator. Mark brings firsthand experience of the challenges facing Wisconsin Veterans and builds peer-to-peer trust that no advertising campaign can replicate.
Dr. McBride brings the perspective of a Veteran and psychiatric clinician — speaking authentically about mental health, stigma, and help-seeking. His dual role as Veteran and physician makes him a uniquely credible voice for the campaign's target audience.
Dr. Noffsinger provides psychological expertise and a Veteran's perspective on the barriers and pathways to mental health care for Wisconsin Veterans. She has been a key spokesperson for the campaign's mental health destigmatization messaging.
CEO of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, a critical campaign partner providing access to the statewide Public Education Program (WBA-PEP) that delivers our PSAs to Wisconsin households at donated rates.
Represents the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs on the project team, providing state government partnership, data access, and connections to the Wisconsin Veterans Services network across all 72 counties.
Provides Milwaukee VA medical center partnership, clinical expertise, and connection to Veterans receiving VA healthcare — an important channel for campaign awareness and resource referrals.
Daryn Colledge is the face of the ReachOutWis.org campaign — a respected Green Bay Packer and Army Veteran who speaks directly to Wisconsin Veterans about mental health, help-seeking, and the courage it takes to reach out. His participation has brought the campaign to hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin households through statewide PSA airings.
Daryn's message is simple and powerful: "Asking for help is strength, not weakness." Coming from a former NFL lineman who served in the Army, this message resonates in a way that clinical messaging never could.
Watch Daryn's PSAs →
ReachOutWis.org is funded by grants from the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin (AHW) Endowment at the Medical College of Wisconsin. AHW is a statewide health improvement initiative funded by proceeds from the conversion of Blue Cross Blue Shield United of Wisconsin to for-profit status. AHW has funded over $100 million in Wisconsin health improvement projects since 2000.
Phase 1 (2021–2024): $359,173 · Phase 2 (2024–2026): $249,768 · Phase 3 (2026–2028): Pending AHW approval
Donations to support the campaign are made through the War Memorial Center, a 501(c)(3) organization, and are tax-deductible. Donated funds support community outreach, Veteran Peer Specialist activities, and continuation of the campaign beyond grant funding.
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