WESTPORT, Mass. (WPRI) — Twenty-two push-ups may seem like a random number to demand, but it has a special meaning to teachers and students at a Westport elementary school.
Every day at 8:22 a.m., the bugle sounds over the loudspeaker at Macomber Elementary School and teachers all line the hallway to do 22 pushups — even young students are joining in.
The number 22 is significant because it represents the number of veterans who take their own lives each day.
Through these pushups, teachers are reminded of the tragic statistic and want to show veterans they are always remembered.
“I sent one email out and within 15 seconds I had a response,” Teresa Pacheco, a teacher at the school said. “It’s just a great school community here and they knew the cause, and they were like ‘absolutely let’s do it!'”
The idea caught on at another school in town. So far the community has raised about $1,300 for the local chapter of “Mission 22” which offers life-saving help for struggling veterans.
