Flick is no stranger to such services himself, being a founder of Susquehanna Software, a company responsible for creating human services software for mental health, drug and alcohol, early intervention, intellectual disability and aging, which would go on to be employed throughout 61 of the state’s 67 counties.

Among the speakers prior to the expo was Army Sgt. Major Kevin Bittenbender, a combat veteran who hails from Montgomery.

Bittenbender, who served 34 years in the U.S. Army, is an adaptive athlete who became involved in hand cycling after losing his leg following exposure to weapons burn pits while on duty in Afghanistan.

He is a founding member of Joint Task Force 22 to Zero, a nonprofit organization that helps veterans and first responders battling PTSD, traumatic brain injury and suicidal ideation.

KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Retired Army Sergeant Kevin Bittenbender speaks at the Human Services Expo and Speaker Series at Penn College. The series and expo was presented by State Rep. Jamie Flick.

Flick and Bittenbender became acquainted after attending the same Gold Star Family event at Pocono Raceway in July.

Also in tow Thursday was Bittenbender’s service dog, Kirby, who Bittenbender acquired through the Houston Texans and Kroger grocery. Kirby was trained by America’s VetDogs and was the 2022 MVP of the annual Puppy Bowl, Bittenbender said.

“Regardless of if you wear one stripe or four stars, if you are a CEO or just a front line employee, there should be no shame in saying, ‘hey, I need some help. I need to talk to someone. I need to take the time out. I need to go seek some mental health assistance,'” Bittenbender stressed to the crowd.

Bittenbender spent eight years struggling with his own inner turmoil before a call from a fellow soldier who he refers to as his battle buddy turned things around simply by asking if he was alright.

It was this same battle buddy that motivated Bittenbender to become involved in hand cycling.

KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Retired Army Sergeant Kevin Bittenbender speaks at the Human Services Expo and Speaker Series at Penn College. The series and expo was presented by State Rep. Jamie Flick.

“That was probably one of the best things that has ever happened to get me out of that and get refocused and revitalized as to what I needed to do to better myself,” he said.

Bittenbender credits a personal “recipe” that includes “three P’s an A and a C” with helping him turn his life around.

“The first P is purpose. Hand cycling provided me with a purpose. I wanted to get up in the morning and just get out to push myself physically,” he said, adding that caring for Kirby provides him another purpose.

“The second P is passion. You have to be passionate about that purpose, engulf yourself in it, immerse yourself in it, and just be passionate about why you’re waking up and why you want to go do something,” Bittenbender said.

“The third P is part of something bigger than yourself,” he explained.

KAREN VIBERT-KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Retired Army Sergeant Kevin Bittenbender speaks at the Human Services Expo and Speaker Series at Penn College. The series and expo was presented by State Rep. Jamie Flick.

“The A is for attitude. If you have a positive attitude, the results are going to be a lot better, and others around you are going to gravitate to that positive attitude, as opposed also if you have a negative attitude,” he said.

The C stands for comfort zone, and the need to push one’s self out of it.

“It’s imperative that you push yourself outside that comfort zone. Unless you do, you’re not going to be able to grow mentally, physically or spiritually. And you’re not going to be able to grow as a person,” Bittenbender said.

But the central theme of Bittenbender’s work always comes back to making sure that his message continues to touch the lives of as many people as possible.

“There used to be this ice bucket challenge years ago, and there used to be 22 push ups. 22 is a very ominous number because 22 veterans commit suicide a day because of PTSD. On top of that, there are seven first responders that commit suicide daily due to PTSD,” he informed the crowd.

“So my challenge to you is not to do push ups, not to throw water on yourself, but for the next 22 days, pick the phone up, call someone, call a friend and say, ‘listen, you may not be struggling, but I want you to know that I’m here, that if you do struggle or are struggling, you can reach back to me and call me,’ and then tell them to do the same,” Bittenbender implored the audience.

“If everyone were to do that for the next 22 days, you’d be covering over 2,000 people,” he said, reminding those in attendance that it was a call from his battle buddy, from out of the blue that helped save his life.