On a bench along Main Street in Evans City is a memorial for Andrew Smith, affectionately known as "A.J." His family and friends honor his time in the military and as a first responder with photos on that bench, along with the words "Rest easy, brother. We'll take it from here."

Smith, born and raised in Evans City, attended the University of Landover after high school, where he received his EMT certification before joining the Army.

A.J. later served a tour in Iraq, but his mother said he returned home a different man, struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder. He eventually moved to South Carolina, where he served in his dream job as a firefighter in Columbia.

"A.J. was a class clown," said Deb Smith. "He always had a smile on his face. He was always happy."

In January of 2016, A.J. was compelled to visit a Veterans Affairs facility for assistance with his mental health but was told to return for an appointment two months later. But on Feb. 24, A.J. took his own life. He was 28 years old.

"To find out that he was that desperate, in that much pain to take his life, I thought, 'This has to end,'" said Smith. "We're going to try to do something."

Soon after, Smith helped to form A.J.'s Stop 22 in his honor, with the mission of raising awareness of veteran suicide and helping veterans in their families who may be in crisis. The number 22 was chosen to highlight the statistical average of 22 veterans lost per day to suicide.

"If it helps save one person, for that one person to not take their life, we're doing some good," Smith said. "A.J.'s death wasn't in vain."

They have also adopted lime green as their signature color, A.J.'s favorite.

"He was a fanatic of 'Ghostbusters,' that was his thing," Smith said. "My daughter and some of her friends are like, 'Do we have to wear lime green everywhere?' I said, 'Yup, that was his favorite color,' so they are stuck with lime green."

So far, the organization has raised more than $200,000, supporting various causes for veterans throughout Butler County. Among their biggest events are the annual A.J. Smith Memorial golf outing and their annual Veterans Day food drive.

"We keep no money," said Smith. "We have no office, no payroll, so every cent we make goes back into the community, back into organizations. We don't have any overhead except my dining room, and that's it."

Dr. Shanea Clancy, a forensic nurse and mental health professional, was a high school classmate of A.J.'s and later became a volunteer for the organization.

"It is absolutely needed," said Clancy of the foundation. "The strength and courage that it takes Deb and her family to not only set up this nonprofit organization, but to really see the heart of the mission and keep A.J.'s story alive is truly inspirational."

Smith says she has been in contact with hundreds of people in nearly a decade since losing her son. She often spends time on the phone with veterans in crisis or family members of veterans who have lost loved ones by suicide.

"Sometimes I'm not sure how they get my name and number, but they do," she said. "You mostly just listen to someone who's lost someone by suicide because there are no answers."

The organization's message is that every veteran's life is worth something, and there's always someone available to help.

"There's far too many people dying by suicide, especially the veteran population," said Clancy. "One is too many. And we cannot ignore that fact."

"Sometimes somebody will call me back and thank me for talking to them," said Smith. "It just kind of makes me look up and say, 'OK, A.J. I did something."