Thank You, Mental Health Champions!

The 10th Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest on October 18 included a Wellness Fair featuring 10 local nonprofits. The Sophie Fund extends its sincere thanks to these mental health champions for increasing awareness, fighting stigma, and supporting those in need.

Participating organizations included: Be Kind Ithaca; Free Hugs Ithaca; American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Greater Central New York; Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service; Mental Health Association in Tompkins County; National Alliance on Mental Illness Finger Lakes; Advocacy Center of Tompkins County; Tompkins County Bullying Prevention Task Force; Cayuga Addiction Recovery Services; and Ithaca Welcomes Refugees. Claire de Boer of Cayuga Swim for Mental Health also participated.

Claire de Boer of Cayuga Swim for Mental Health

In remarks at the contest cwards Ceremony, De Boer spoke about her epic 38-mile relay swim the length of Cayuga Lake in August with fellow marathoner Bridgette Hobart. She and Hobart made their swim a fundraiser for The Sophie Fund and dedicated it to nephews they lost to suicide, Rowan and Corey, respectively.

“Rowan did not reach out for help,” De Boer recounted. “Rowan was a very intelligent, helpful, warm, loving human being. Twenty-one years old. If I had to speak to Rowan, or anyone else, any young people, I would say, ‘We know things get really hard, and they feel insurmountable. And many of us have been there. If you can just wait, and just talk about it. So many people care about you, love you, and want to help you.’”

The Sophie Fund provided De Boer and Hobart with plaques commemorating their marathon swim on August 8-9.

De Boer’s message was echoed by Tiffany Bloss, executive director of the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County, an agency that provides mental health training and education and serves as the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline call center for central New York.

“We field hundreds of calls every single day from people who reach out for support,” Bloss said.

“This is how this happens,” Bloss added, motioning to the event attendees. “People coming out and paying attention to mental health, talking about our feelings and our experiences were having, learning about the resources in our community. This is what is going to keep people alive, having these really tough conversations.”

National Alliance on Mental Illness Finger Lakes

Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County

Another speaker was Leila Wilmers, development director for Ithaca Welcomes Refugees, a nonprofit that is the recipient of The Sophie Fund’s 2025 “Cupcake Button” fundraising campaign supporting community mental health.

“Our mission is to work alongside refugees and immigrants as they resettle and rebuild their lives in Tompkins County,” Wilmers said.

“We try to provide a comprehensive support service. We’re there from the beginning when people first arrive. We help find housing. We help through donation drives to get people furnished apartments. Then we provide longer-term support. We operate with a huge network of volunteers and we’re always welcoming new people to get involved in helping provide support for families that are coming.”