Morgan Wahlstrom raised $7,000 for veterans suffering from PTSD - and she did it in the middle of a blizzard.

Wahlstrom, who grew up around veterans (including her father, Wareham firefighter Dave Wahlstrom), has always had respect for their sacrifices.“I’ve never served…I can’t imagine what they go through,” she explained. The idea for the fundraiser began last summer, when Wahlstrom was denied entrance to a veteran’s fundraiser because she wasn’t 21. Frustrated, she told her father what had happened. “You could always hold your own fundraiser,” he told her.

The idea grew from there, resulting in a successful fundraiser for 22Kill on Jan. 8. 22Kill is a campaign meant to bring awareness to the proliferation of PTSD and suicidal thoughts amongst military veterans. It references a jarring statistic: an average of 22 military veterans take their life every day.

The actual statistic may be even higher, as the Department of Veterans Affairs, who provided the statistic, only gleaned information from 20 states. According to 22Kill’s website, “funds raised through merchandise sales and donations are used to support partnered organization’s who offer programs focusing on veteran empowerment, mental health treatment, and therapy/counseling for veterans and their families.”

Wahlstrom hosted the event at the Parrot Grill in Bourne. The restaurant is owned by Opie Crocker, another Wareham firefighter. The fundraiser included dinner, entertainment, and raffle prizes. Wahlstrom invited Tank Machine, a social media celebrity and combat veteran who frequently works with 22Kill Boston, to speak at the event. To her surprise, he accepted, and flew in from Dallas to speak to the audience.

Thinking back on the day of the event, “I was pretty stressed,” Morgan said and laughed over the phone. “We had flown Tank Machine in from Dallas, so we couldn’t reschedule. It was a blizzard, outside. We were afraid nobody was going to show up.”

She was thrilled to find that, instead, roughly 150 people showed up, despite the swiftly falling snow and icy roads. Many of them told her they wouldn’t miss the event for anything. People arrived from as far away as Westport and even Rhode Island, looking to show their support. During the fundraiser, there was also time spent honoring Wareham Army veteran Tom Harrigan, who is about to be deployed for the fourth time at 25. He was presented with matching bracelets and a short speech.

22Kill Boston Executive Director Matt Nelson praised Wahlstrom and her initiative. “She’s an amazing girl, she took it upon herself to do everything. She contacted the DJ and the band, she contacted Tank Machine. She did it all.”

Although she estimated that the event had raised $6,000 in donations, Nelson said that they raised another $1,000 in 22Kill merchandise sales, specifically the Honor Ring. The ring is a black band worn on the index finger. It can be purchased anywhere between $6 (for a black rubber version) and $144 (for a version engraved with the Preamble to the Constitution).

“The respect that everyone had was incredible,” Wahlstrom said. Although she has no solid plans in mind, she would love to host another event in the future.

For more information on 22Kill, visit www.22kill.com.