--- title: "Walk for Those Who Served: Join Us at The Long Walk Home Veterans Day 5K in Venice" description: Join us for The Long Walk Home Veterans Day 5K in Venice on November 11, 2026, to support veterans and prevent suicide. Every step matters. --- [News & Insights](https://news.libertysavingsbank.com/blog) # [Walk for Those Who Served: Join Us at The Long Walk Home Veterans Day 5K in Venice](https://news.libertysavingsbank.com/blog/walk-for-those-who-served-join-us-at-the-long-walk-home-veterans-day-5k-in-venice) Written by [Bill Rieger](https://news.libertysavingsbank.com/blog/author/bill-rieger) | Oct 14, 2026, 5:51:31 PM This Veterans Day, there's a way to honor the people who served that goes beyond a thank-you. On Wednesday, November 11, 2026, The Long Walk Home is hosting its Veterans Day Walkathon 5K Run & Walk at Maxine Barritt Park in Venice, and every step supports one mission: preventing veteran suicide. Related Article: [Building Strength, Community, and Hope: Parkinson Place’s Impact in Sarasota and Manatee](https://news.libertysavingsbank.com/blog/parkinson-place-impact-in-sarasota-and-manatee)    Liberty Savings Bank is proud to be a sponsor of this year's event. But our relationship with The Long Walk Home didn't start with a logo on a flyer. We've supported this organization and its mission for years, because the work they do happens right here in our community, for our neighbors, and it saves lives. We'd love for you to join us on the course. ## The event at a glance - **What**: The Long Walk Home Veterans Day Walkathon — 5K Run & Walk - **When**: Wednesday, November 11, 2026 (Veterans Day), 7:30 AM – 1:30 PM - **Where**: Maxine Barritt Park, Venice, FL - Registration: $50, includes an event T-shirt. Register at[thelongwalkhome.org](https://thelongwalkhome.org) or scan the QR code on the event flyer. - **Beyond the 5K**: Vendors, games, live music and food - **Questions**: Call The Long Walk Home at (305) 399-5354 You don't need to be a runner. Walk it, jog it, push a stroller, bring your family. The point is to show up. ## Why this cause matters According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' 2026 National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, 6,488 veterans died by suicide in 2024 — an average of 17.7 every day. The same report found that 62% of those veterans were not receiving VA health care in the year they died or the year before. That last number is why community organizations matter so much. Many veterans aren't connected to formal support systems. Reaching them often depends on people and organizations close to home: a fellow veteran who checks in, a peer mentor, a workshop at the local Legion post, a community that makes it clear they aren't alone. That's the gap The Long Walk Home works to fill. ## The story behind The Long Walk Home The Long Walk Home was founded in 2006 by Ron Zaleski, a Marine Corps veteran who served from 1970 to 1972. After returning home and learning that members of his squadron had been killed or wounded in combat, Ron stopped wearing shoes as a memorial to his fallen brothers. He has walked barefoot ever since. In 2006, Ron walked the length of the Appalachian Trail barefoot. In 2010, he walked barefoot more than 3,400 miles from Concord, Massachusetts, to Santa Monica, California, carrying a sign about veteran suicide and gathering signatures calling for mandatory counseling for military personnel. He later took that petition, with more than 20,000 signatures, to Washington, D.C. Today, Ron lives in Venice, and The Long Walk Home is a veteran-led 501(c)(3) nonprofit based right here in Sarasota County. In 2025, team members Ron Zaleski and Omar Rose walked across the country again to raise awareness of the veteran suicide crisis, hosting workshops for veterans and military families along the way. The Veterans Day Walkathon is a fitting tribute: an organization born from one veteran's long walk, inviting an entire community to walk alongside him. ## What your registration supports The Long Walk Home helps veterans and military families make the transition to civilian life, and its programs are offered at no cost to veterans and their loved ones. ### Those programs include: - Peer mentorship and the 10 Challenges to Service: A structured self-empowerment program that veterans can complete with a mentor in person, with a group in a one-day session, on a weekend camping retreat, or online on their own schedule. - Suicide prevention training: Workshops using ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training). - Wellness workshops and community events: Opportunities for veterans to connect with each other and rebuild a sense of purpose. - A resource database: Helping veterans and families find the support they need. When you register, you're helping keep those programs free for the veterans who need them. ## Why Liberty Savings Bank supports this mission Our tagline is "Our interest is in you," and we mean it beyond banking. As a family-owned community bank that has served Sarasota and Manatee Counties for more than 30 years, we believe the strength of a community is measured by how it shows up for its people. Many of the veterans and military families The Long Walk Home serves are our neighbors, customers and friends. Supporting an organization that works every day to keep them connected, supported and alive is one of the most meaningful ways we can invest in the place we call home. We hope to see Liberty team members, customers and neighbors at Maxine Barritt Park on Veterans Day. ## More ways to get involved Can't make it to the race, or want to do more? ### The Long Walk Home is looking for help in several ways: - Run or walk: Register as a participant and bring friends, family or coworkers. - Sponsor or support a veteran: Help cover a veteran's participation. - Volunteer: Help on event day. - Become a vendor: Local businesses can set up at the event. - Donate: Support the organization's year-round programs. All of these options are available at[thelongwalkhome.org](https://thelongwalkhome.org). ## If you or a veteran you know needs support If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available right now, 24 hours a day. Veterans, service members and their families can reach the Veterans Crisis Line by dialing 988 and pressing 1, texting 838255, or chatting online at VeteransCrisisLine.net. You don't have to be enrolled in VA benefits or health care to use it. Anyone in crisis can also call or text 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. Reaching out is a sign of strength. And sometimes, the most important thing any of us can do is ask a friend how they're really doing. 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