Tompkins Community Bank and the Legacy Foundation of Tompkins County have honored The Sophie Fund with the James J. Byrnes Award for Excellence recognizing “all of the great volunteer work and dedication The Sophie Fund gives to our community.”
The Sophie Fund was among nine recipients of 2024 James J. Byrnes awards presented during a “celebration of the unsung heroes of our community” at the bank’s Ithaca headquarters on May 20.
The awards are presented to honorees for making significant contributions toward the quality of life for others and for generously volunteering time and effort to activities helping others.
Other 2024 recipients were Darrell Harrington, founder of Be Kind Ithaca; Encore Players Community Theater; Love Living at Home Volunteers; Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ithaca and Tompkins County; Enfield Pantry; Linda Glabach, of the Campus Club at Cornell; Carmen Guidi, of Second Wind Cottages; and William Maxwell, a Cornell professor emeritus.
The awards began in 1985 with a gift to the Legacy Foundation to honor outstanding contributions to the quality of life through religious, charitable, scientific, educational, artistic, literary, or civic achievement. The program has recognized more than 280 individuals or groups, with awards totaling more than $386,000.
“Tompkins is proud to support the amazing work volunteers are doing in our community through The James J. Byrnes Awards for Excellence,” said Johanna Anderson, president, Tompkins Community Bank’s Central New York market. “We are grateful to be continuing our partnership with the Legacy Foundation to showcase the incredible work being done in our community and to celebrate the efforts of individuals and groups who make it happen.”
Since 2014 the award has been named in honor of James J. Byrnes, a former board chair of Tompkins Financial Corporation and Tompkins Trust Company.
The Sophie Fund was nominated for a 2024 award by Maarten P. de Boer and Venetia M. Pimley.
Hundreds of community members turned out in Ithaca’s Stewart Park May 11 for the second annual Better Together for Mental Health, the free-of-charge fair featuring live music, dance, wellness workshops, information tables, carousel rides, face painting, story times, street food, ice cream, and cookies.
Mayor Robert Cantelmo presents the city’s proclamation to organizers Michelle Eells and Jadyn McCune
Mayor Robert Cantelmo kicked off the event with a proclamation declaring May 11 “Mental Health Provider Appreciation Day in the City of Ithaca.” The proclamation called the providers “champions of wellness, defenders of privacy, and advocates for hope and a brighter future.”
Cantelmo expressed his personal gratitude for mental health providers, sharing his own journey with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety, and depression.
“It is incredibly important work. I wouldn’t be who I am as a father or as a husband or as a public servant if I didn’t have the care network that I have. I am very proud today to present this proclamation,” he said.
The mayor stressed the need to continue breaking down stigma around mental health and removing barriers to access care.
Mayor Robert Cantelmo and organizer Sandy True
New York State Assemblymember Anna Kelles praised Cantelmo’s openness about his own mental health, and hailed Better Together’s celebration. She began her remarks by asking audience members to share a hug, citing research that four 20-second hugs a day increased oxytocin levels and improved quality of health.
New York State Senator Lea Webb presented another proclamation declaring May Mental Health Awareness Month in District 52.
“Together, let us embark on a journey of understanding, compassion, and advocacy to cultivate a community where every individual feels empowered to prioritize their mental well-being and seek the support they deserve,” she said.
Alan Rose and the Restless Elements
On May 8, the Tompkins County Legislature also proclaimed May as Mental Health Awareness Month in the county, and recognized “the vital role mental health workers play in providing mental health services, and the increased importance of this role amid a nationwide workforce shortage.”
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month.
At the fair, 45 mental health and wellness providers, nonprofit organizations, and companies staffed outreach tables with information on their services.
Throughout the day, music was provided by Alan Rose and the Restless Elements, Mandy Goldman, Penelope Voss, Joe Gibson and Dan Collins, Cantata Singers, Rose Alaimo and Stan Stewart.
GIAC Jumpers
Another highlight: free eats, provided by Babe’s Burger, Luna Inspired Street Food, Yxi’s Arepas & the Chef Gordito, Meg A Moo’s Ice Cream, Purity Ice Cream Co., and Via’s Cookies.
Better Together organizers, including more than 15 local organizations and dozens of artists, musicians, mental health practitioners, and volunteers, said that the vendors provided 750 free meals and 500 servings of ice cream as well as 1,000 free carousel rides for kids.
Cantata Singers
This year’s event was sponsored by Cayuga Health, CFCU Community Credit Union, Guthrie, True Insurance; partnered by Friends of Greg, The Sophie Fund, Northwestern Mutual, Sciarabba Walker & Co.; and supported by the Community Foundation of Tompkins County, Duthie Orthodontics, Health & Unity for Greg, Tompkins Community Bank, and McCutcheon, Patel, Livermore & Associates DDS. In-kind donations were provided by Wegmans, Gimme! Coffee and Ithaca Coffee Co.; along with personal donations from Carla and Steve Fontana, Gene Yarussi, and numerous others.
Stewart Park Carousel
Dan Collins & Joe Gibson
Free Hugs Ithaca and Be Kind Ithaca
Face painting at Better Together for Mental Health
Babe’s Burger
Yxi’s Arepas & the Chef Gordito
Luna Inspired Street Food
Via’s Cookies
Meg-A-Moo’s Ice Cream
Purity Ice Cream
Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition
Health and Unity for Greg
Mental Health Association in Tompkins County
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Greater Central New York
Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County
National Alliance on Mental Illness—Finger Lakes
Family Reading Partnership
Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca
Tompkins County Whole Health
Chalk the Walk
Mental Health Support and Crisis Services—Tompkins County
Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca presented The Sophie Fund with the Agda Osborn Award for community service at its annual celebration on May 8.
“This award recognizes an individual or organization that makes outstanding contributions to our community,” said Executive Director Alicia Kenaley. “The Sophie Fund’s dedication to enhancing mental health support for young people in Ithaca and Tompkins County is remarkable.”
Kenaley said that The Sophie Fund has supported an array of programs since its founding in 2016.
“It actively engages with the community of mental health care providers, educational institutions, nonprofits, and elected officials. We are especially appreciative of the financial support The Sophie Fund provides to mental health clinicians through grants for professional development and selfcare,” she added.
Co-Founder Scott MacLeod said The Sophie Fund was extremely honored to accept the award. He thanked Kenaley, the Family & Children’s team, and the many providers and champions attending the celebration for their tireless efforts to support the mental health of the community.
The award was created in 1983 to honor the late Agda Osborn, a long-serving and dedicated community volunteer with many area organizations, including Family & Children’s Service where she served as a board member.
Osborn, a 1920 graduate of Cornell University, helped establish several local organizations, among them The Hangar Theatre, Cornell Women’s Club, the City Federation of Women’s Organizations, and Historic Ithaca. She was a member of the city’s first planning board, as well as the Common Council, and the Southside Community Council.
Nearly 200 mental health campaigners participated in a fundraising walk for the Finger Lakes chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness at Ithaca’s Stewart Park on May 4, bringing in $34,534 for NAMI’s support and education programs.
People (and people’s best friends) walking for mental health at Stewart Park
The total far exceeded the organization’s $25,000 goal, but for NAMI-FL Executive Director Sandra Sorensen the event’s success could not be measured in numbers or dollars.
“After the hustle and bustle of setting up and getting things ready, the energy in the Stewart Park pavilion was electrifying,” she said. “It was this feeling that shouted success to me. I found myself surrounded by people engaged in conversation filled with laughter and smiles.”
“In-person community and relationships play a huge part in keeping all of us mentally engaged and healthy—something we all need more of,” she added.
For Barry Segal and others, raising money for mental health is a walk in the park
That view was seconded by Barry Segal of Segal & Sorensen Construction, the event’s Gold sponsor, who ran into a new friend and neighbor while trekking along the path beside Cayuga Lake. “I gained a new perspective of the services that NAMI provides,” he said.
Participants, including members of 23 fundraising teams, had the option of walking a mile around the park or doing a 5K run. The event included face painting, free food, live music, yoga on the lawn, various giveaways, a scavenger hunt, and a memory wall. Local mental health nonprofits provided information tables. Be Kind Ithaca and Free Hugs Ithaca were on hand, well, to spread kindness and do a lot of hugging.
NAMI-FL recognized David Archer as the No. 1 fundraiser, with a $6,600 haul, and Buoyant Punk made its mark as the top fundraising team with $7,516.00.
Dave Archer and Sandra Sorensen
Scavenger Hunters
NAMI fundraiser Steve Gordon and NAMI volunteer Dale Taylor
Sunday May 12 is National Mental Health Provider Appreciation Day! The Sophie Fund joins the Tompkins County Suicide Prevention Coalition in saluting and celebrating our local mental health workforce.
“Thank You” poster @ East Seneca & North Tioga bus shelter
In a small token of appreciation, the coalition has placed “Thank You” posters at two bus shelters in Ithaca—at East Seneca Street & North Tioga Street, and at Cayuga Medical Center. The coalition has also placed public service announcement messages on two Ithaca radio stations throughout the month of May—Lite Rock 97.3 and Rewind 107.7.
“Appreciation” poster @ Cayuga Medical Center bus shelter
We show our appreciation for mental health providers who toil to help us address our mental health issues and enable us to lead happier and healthier lives.
At times, the clinicians, social workers, peer specialists, and others in the field sacrifice their own mental well-being in the service of our community’s health and wellness.
If you know a mental health provider, or are personally supported by one, consider reaching out to them on National Mental Health Provider Appreciation Day (and other times, too!) to express your appreciation. Even better, bake them some cookies or cupcakes, or invite them to share a meal. Small acts of kindness go a long way!
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