Warehouse 22, located at 1068 W. 350 South, Suite A, in Syracuse, is a venue boasting 6,000 square feet of event space, customizable projection walls and on-site catering. The building has hosted everything from corporate events and pro wrestling to celebrations of life, quinceañeras and more.

However, as co-owner and head event planner Brian Yocum told the Standard-Examiner, the space has also provided an opportunity to support a cause that’s deeply personal to his family.

“Me and my brother have both lost just far too many people to suicide and mental health stuff,” Yocum said.

“We just thought we should do something, so we started this. We didn’t know exactly how it was going to work out, but we were like, ‘Let’s try a couple of events here and there and see if we can start raising some money for JaKs.'”

That’s JaKs Playground, their nonprofit, which seeks to empower men “through mental health awareness and support in the form of safe spaces, mental health advocacy and specialized treatment,” according to the group’s website.

“What we’re trying to do is build out a facility where men can come,” Yocum said. “Just a place where they can come and get away from some of that stress.”

As noted by an American Foundation for Suicide Prevention fact sheet, citing data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, men died by suicide 3.85 times more than women in 2022.

“It felt like just everywhere we were turning, we were hearing people that just — men just struggling,” Yocum said. “I don’t think I’m qualified to help people with this, but I just felt like I can’t sit around and do nothing.”

While Yocum was initially unsure about bingo nights as a fundraising mechanism for JaKs, he says that the themed events, now held at Warehouse 22 on Wednesday nights, proved to be a hit with the community.

“We were just selling out,” Yocum said. “We were just trying to do a different type of event once a month where we were doing something to raise some money for this. But people insisted on it being more often.”

In short order, the word started getting out and other charitable organizations began partnering with Warehouse 22 on their own bingo nights.

Last week, the charity was the Clinton Arts Board. Other recent partner organizations include the Syracuse City Arts Council and Make-A-Wish Utah.

“It’s usually about $2,000 to $3,000 we raise for them,” Yocum said. “And the reason a lot of them love it is … there’s no work on their part. We pretty much have this thing set up and running smoothly.”

Warehouse 22’s next bingo night, which is “Twilight”-themed, is slated for July 31 and will benefit JaKs Playground. Ticket prices begin at $30.

For more information go to https://jaksutah.org or https://utah22.com.