NILES – On Sunday, a group of 50 people from as far as Tennessee departed from Veteran’s Memorial in Riverfront Park at 1 p.m. for a downtown area walk to raise awareness about veteran suicide.

The walk-a-thon concluded five weeks of fundraising by Western Michigan Gold Star Mothers. The donations went to Service Dogs for Vets, a national nonprofit that seeks to provide service dogs and service dog training to veterans struggling with physical and mental health issues.

Each year, the Western Michigan Gold Star Mothers puts on one big event to raise awareness for a military-related cause, said Patti Russell, treasurer of the area chapter. Over $8,550 was raised for this year’s event.

“We far exceeded what we wanted to raise,” said Shelly Tropp, event organizer and Gold Star Mother. “We’re so grateful for the part of the community that came.”

Last year, the group raised about $1,500 for the Fisher House, an Ann Arbor home that veterans can utilize while they have family hospitalized.

According to the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs, more than 6,000 veterans died from suicide each year from 2008 to 2016. Russell believes that physical and mental disabilities are contributors to the number of suicides.

“We thought to raise money for service dogs for the care of veterans with disabilities and PTSD,” she said.

Gold Star Mothers and Working Dogs for Vets believe that dogs can be more than man’s best friend for veterans. They believe dogs can provide comfort, support and newfound independence in struggling veterans, reducing suicides.

Gold Star Mothers’ national chapter hosted a walk-a-thon for the same cause two years ago. Soon after, local chapters began holding their own walk-a-thons, including the western Michigan chapter.

While donations for veteran service dogs were taken during the walk-a-thon, the event was also meant to raise awareness on military suicide. Tropp and other attendees walked with large signs showing the photo and name of a military member who committed suicide. The phrase, “American hero” was beneath each photo.

Sets of walkers, from children to adults, wore matching shirts showing support for the military and its veterans. Members of Working Dogs for Vets and its service dogs walked, too.

The group of walkers left Veteran’s Memorial at 1 p.m. and took about a two-mile route up Main Street and back, taking Front Street to Riverside Park’s trail.

The walk concluded at Veteran’s Park. Coffee donated from Biggby Coffee and Starbucks were available to all walkers.

“Western Michigan Gold Star Mothers want to thank the Niles community for their wonderful support,” Russell said.

The next big event for Western Michigan Gold Star Mothers is an annual Veterans Affairs picnic in Battle Creek. It will be hosted in late July.