Month: May 2025

Sun Shines on “Better Together” 2025

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Not one! Nary a cloud appeared in an all-blue sky for “Better Together for Mental Health,” the third annual community celebration marking Mental Health Awareness Month in Ithaca’s Stewart Park on May 10.

GIAC Jumpers!

More than 800 people enjoyed a day filled with musical acts; free meals and treats from area food favorites; carousel rides, face painting, crafts, and story times for kids; musical acts by local bands; and information tables staffed by 40 Ithaca-area health and wellness organizations.

“My gosh, what a gorgeous, beautiful day, and it’s just really sweet to see so many people interacting in a positive way with each other and so many smiles and children laughing and playing,” said Jaydn McCune, co-chair of the planning committee.

“Why do we need this? Because human nature is that we focus on problems. It’s important for us for survival, but what we need is to connect with each other. And what we know about the antidote to trauma and toxic stress is connection and relationship, and that’s what Better Together is all about.”

SingTrece, the One and Only!

Organizer Sandy True also felt blessed by the sunny skies. “Truly, we are better together. People enjoyed being outside, tasting wonderful food, listening to amazing musicians, being entertained by a variety of performers, carousel rides, and learning about ways to support your mental health,” she said.

Perhaps the biggest hit with kids was the Stewart Park Carousel, which hosted nearly 900 free rides thanks to the sponsorship of McCutcheon, Patel, Livermore, and Associates.

Non-stop carousel rides!

Stewart Park’s Small Pavilion was transformed into the Family Activities Pavilion, sponsored by The Sophie Fund, which hosted children-focused activities including story-telling, crafts, and games. The Family Reading Partnership gave away free copies of the beautiful illustrated children’s book “How Starling Got his Speckles” also with sponsorship from The Sophie Fund.

The stage of the Large Pavilion featured continuous performances by Down to Earth, Cakebatter, SingTrece, RDF and Jack Brown, Thousands of One, and the GIAC Jumpers. Mrs. Activist New York Kris Valkyrie and Miss Activist New York Rose served as emcees for the sets.

Down to Earth

Down to Earth, Second Set

Hungry event-goers lined up all day for free food courtesy of the Better Together sponsors, dished up by Funk ‘n Waffles, Catering by Luna, Yxi’s Arepas & Gordito, Babe’s Burger, Meg-A-Moo’s Ice Cream, and Purity Ice Cream.

The Better Together 2025 sponsors: Cayuga Health; CFCU Community Credit Union; Guthrie; True Insurance; Community Foundation of Tompkins County; Friends of Greg Eells; Health & Unity for Greg (HUG); Sciarabba Walker & Co.; The Sophie Fund; Therm; Tompkins Financial; McCutcheon, Patel, Livermore, and Associates; Vicki and Jay Williamson of Northwestern Mutual; Wegmans; Carla and Steve Fontana; Gene Yarussi; and numerous others.

Better Together planners are thrilled to see the event grow year after year. Said Libby Demarest, director of Community Engagement at Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca: “It represents the true essence of collaboration as we watch all of our local mental health and many other local human service agencies come together for a common goal: to share information and resources in the effort to destigmatize mental health and help folks get equipped with the resources they need.”

Funk ‘n Waffles

Yxi’s Arepas & Gordito

Babe’s Burger

Catering by Luna

Purity Ice Cream

Queuing Up for Lunch

Thousands of One

Organizers Libby Demarest and Sandy True

Kari Burke and Jaydn McCune from the Better Together Team

Family Activities Pavilion

Family Reading Partnership

Health and Unity for Greg

Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County

Win a Prize!

Family & Children’s Service of Ithaca

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Greater Central New York

Tompkins County Whole Health

NAMI Finger Lakes

Advocacy Center of Tompkins County

Mental Health Association in Tompkins County

Ithaca Free Clinic

The Sophie Fund

Tompkins County Emergency Response

Team from Racker

NAMI Walks for Mental Health

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The on-again, off-again drizzle of a Saturday afternoon did not stop our Tompkins County mental health campaigners. Not for a second.

Nearly 200 supporters participated in the fundraising walk for the Finger Lakes chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness at Ithaca’s Stewart Park on May 3, bringing in more than $34,000 for NAMI’s support and education programs.

The walk begins!

The annual NAMI Walks event drew 31 fundraising teams led by Buoyant Punk which collected $3,524, Together We Walk with another $3,065, and EACMSI & IHS with $2,343.

Two new teams surpassed the $1,000 mark: Moral Psych Superstars comprising students from Cornell University and Ithaca High School brought in $2,027; TC Legs—members of the Tompkins County Legislature—raised $1,775.

NAMI-FL Executive Director Sandra Sorensen was the No. 1 individual fundraiser, with $2,884. But she noted that the event is about far more than collecting donations.

NAMI-FL’s Sandra Sorensen, Kathy Taylor, and Matt Taylor

“People gather, connections are made, stories are shared, laughter resonates, and smiles are endless. We walk to break the stigma around mental health and to bring the community together. We are very thankful for the huge impact this had on NAMI Finger Lakes,” said Sorensen. 

The other top individual fundraisers were Jae Sullivan, Hayden Plattus, Howard Reid, Bob Chiang, Meggin Rose, Chris Bobrowich, Aryeal Jackson, Lisa Gerber, and Dave Archer.

Click here to DONATE

NAMI Walks fundraising continues online until June 14

The 5K Runners: On Your Marks!

NAMI-FL Program Manager Jason Hungerford shared how he initially connected with and was aided by NAMI following the suicide death of his husband Jason Seymour in 2017.

NAMI-FL Program Director Jason Hungerford

“What NAMI gave me was an education to learn about the illness that he was battling. It allowed me to gain tools for empathy and communication rather than the resentment and fear and panic that I was feeling. And it really changed the course of my life,” he told the participants before the walk began. In 2021, Hungerford launched the spouse and partner support group at NAMI.

Other speakers included Kayla Matos, a member of Ithaca Common Council and acting Ithaca mayor, and Chloë Moore from the office of State Senator Lea Webb.

“Today, we walk just not in solidarity, but with purpose. Mental health impacts every part of our community, every family, every workplace, every individual. Yet too often it is overlooked. Events like this remind us that no one is alone and that that asking for help is a sign of strength,” said Matos.

“This work does not belong to one person or one organization. It takes all of us. You must keep having these conversations, uplifting one another, and supporting the grassroots organizations that are leading this work every day,” she added.

Ithaca Common Council Member Kayla Matos

Moore said that NAMI Walks events are an important way to break the stigma around mental health.

“What everybody’s doing here today and showing up like this is really an act of hope, which is something that we need a lot of right now. Coming together to have this hope around mental health is a really, really powerful form of community and resistance,” they said.

Beloved Ithaca artist SingTrece led the walkers out of the Stewart Park Pavilion with the song, “Stand by Me.”

“In a time like this, where we need to stand together, this is the perfect group to be around. Sometimes we feel alone, we don’t know who is there. I want you to think of the person that has stood by you, no matter what stage of life you have been in, what chapter of life you have been in, just knowing that you got that one person,” she said.

SingTrece sings “Stand by Me”

NAMI Walks funds programs such as peer-led support groups for family members, caregivers and loved ones of individuals living with mental illness.

NAMI Finger Lakes offers an array of peer-led programs that provide free education, skills training, and support. It operates a HelpLine where experienced volunteers answer calls for support and mental health resources. The number is (607 273-2462).

Several organizations supported the event with information tables, including the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Greater Central New York, Finger Lakes Independence Center, Sensory Nourishment, NY FarmNet, and The Sophie Fund. Be Kind Ithaca and Free Hugs Ithaca greeted the walkers en route with kindness and hugs.

Sponsors of the 2025 NAMI Walks include Segal & Sorensen, Cayuga Health, Tompkins Community Bank, Wegmans, Cornell University, CFCU Community Credit Union, Guthrie, Howard Hanna, and Cayuga Landscape. 

NAMI Finger Lakes is one of some 600 local affiliates of the national organization, a grassroots mental health organization founded in 1979 dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. NAMI says its mission is to educate, support, advocate, listen and lead to improve the lives of people with mental illness and their loved ones.

Check Out Your Mental Health Resources!

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May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Take the time to know what mental health support resources are available locally if you live in Tompkins County. Resources are helpful to those experiencing mental health disorders, as well as to their families and friends. If you are at all concerned about your mental health, or about a loved one or someone you know, stay up to date about mental health and how to get help. You may even save a life.

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Here are some national online resources to check out:

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)

NAMI is America’s largest grassroots mental health organization, with hundreds of local affiliates, state organizations, and volunteers who raise awareness and provide support and education.

Mental Health America

Mental Health America is a non-profit organization that provides mental health advocacy, education and services to a specific service area, such as a state, county or metropolitan area. Affiliates bring together mental health consumers, parents, advocates and service providers for collaboration and action to inform, support and enable mental wellness, and emphasize recovery from mental illness.

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

AFSP’s mission is to save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide. Its five core strategies include funding scientific research; offering educational programs for professionals; educating the public about mood disorders and suicide prevention; promoting policies and legislation that impact suicide and prevention; providing programs and resources for survivors of suicide loss and people at risk.

988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline

Trained and caring counselors support people (or their loved ones) with mental health struggles, emotional distress, alcohol or drug use concerns. Free and confidential calls 24/7/365.

The Child Mind Institute

The Child Mind Institute is an independent, national nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children and families struggling with mental health and learning disorders. Its teams work to deliver the highest standards of care, advance the science of the developing brain, and empower parents, professionals, and policymakers to support children when and where they need it most.

Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide (SPTS)

Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide is an information and training resource for community and professional organizations, educators, and parents. SPTS’s aim is to reduce the number of youth suicides and attempted suicides by encouraging public awareness through the development and promotion of educational training programs.

The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24.

The Steve Fund

The Steve Fund is the nation’s only organization focused on supporting the mental health and emotional well-being of college students of color. It works with colleges and universities, outstanding non-profits, researchers, practitioners, and with groups serving diverse populations to stimulate dialogue and promote effective programs and strategies that build understanding and assistance for the mental and emotional health of the nation’s students of color as they enter, matriculate in, and transition from higher education.

It’s Better Together! Ithaca’s Fun Fair for Mental Health!

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“Better Together for Mental Health,” a free community-wide celebration, is back for its third iteration on Saturday May 10 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. in Ithaca’s Stewart Park. To mark Mental Health Awareness Month, the event is a fun day of free activities for all ages. Participate in mindful movement, dance, live music, street performances, workshops, free activities for kids including face-painting and carousel rides, indulge in free food offerings, and much more.

Free Carousel Rides at “Better Together”

Stewart Park will be abuzz with community organizations, mental health providers, instructors, and entertainers, creating a vibrant atmosphere for learning, laughter, and connection. Explore and learn about mental health, discover ways to support yourself, and connect with others. 

 “This will be our third year of Better Together, and we cannot wait for the community to join us again this year,” said Jaydyn McCune, co-chair of the planning committee. “This event highlights things we can all do on a daily basis to help keep ourselves and others mentally healthy. We encourage everyone to come out and join us to celebrate wellness. Let’s make mental health a collective priority, because we are truly ‘Better Together.’” 

Representatives from 50 different community organizations will be spread out along the walking path of the park between the large and small pavilions, to share information about their programs as well as provide wellness-based activities, such as arts and crafts, “make your own stress ball,” lawn games, food sampling and more.

Stewart Park’s carousel rides will be available at no cost for the duration of the event, with special thanks to McCutcheon, Patel, Livermore and Associates for their generous sponsorship.

Planned performances and mental health practices will take place throughout the day at the Large Pavilion. This year’s event will include performances by local favorites, including Rootstock, Cakebatter, SingTrece, RDF, Jack Brown, and Thousands of One. 

The Small Pavilion will be transformed into the Family Activities Pavilion, sponsored in part by The Sophie Fund. This space will host a multitude of children-focused activities, story-telling, crafts and games.

There will be multiple food vendors on-site, providing free food for all in attendance, thanks to the generous event sponsors. Food vendors include Catering by Luna Inspired Street Food, Yxi’s Arepas & Gorditos, Meg -A-Moo’s Ice Cream, Via’s Cookies, Babe’s Burger, and Funk ‘n Waffles.

“Better Together for Mental Health” is grateful for the support of its many sponsors, partners, and supporters:

Cayuga Health; CFCU Community Credit Union; Guthrie; True Insurance; Community Foundation of Tompkins County; Friends of Greg Eells; Health & Unity for Greg (HUG); Sciarabba Walker & Co.; The Sophie Fund; Therm; Tompkins Financial; McCutcheon, Patel, Livermore, and Associates; Vicki and Jay Williamson of Northwestern Mutual; Wegmans; Carla and Steve Fontana; Gene Yarussi; and numerous others.