suicide – The Sophie Fund

What Happened to Cornell’s Mental Health Review?

September 22, 2025September 22, 2025thesophiefund

In 2020, a task force handed the Cornell University administration a 34-page Mental Health Review Final Report containing 130 core and sub recommendations for improving support for student mental health and well-being on the Ithaca campus. Five years later, Cornell has failed to present a full account to the Cornell or Ithaca communities of how it handled those recommendations as it had pledged to do.

Cornell University campus

Our daughter Sophie ’14 died by suicide in Ithaca in March 2016 during a health leave of absence from Cornell. We wrote to Cornell University President Martha Pollack in April 2017 asking her to commission a task force for a comprehensive review of Cornell’s policies and practices related to student mental health.

In our letter, we observed “systemic failure” in Cornell’s mental health policy and practice affecting areas such as suicide prevention, mental health counseling, and sexual violence. We wrote that we witnessed “an institutional mindset reflecting complacency and defensiveness that appears to prioritize Cornell’s public image over the welfare of students struggling with mental disorders.”

In January 2018 Pollack rejected our request. But in September 2018, she announced the establishment of a Mental Health Review (MHR) after graduate and undergraduate student organizations petitioned the administration to launch a review.

The MHR task force began its work in Fall 2019. As we had requested, the task force was led by external experts, including Michael Hogan, a former New York State mental health commissioner and a widely recognized expert in suicide prevention.

In April 2020, the task force handed the Cornell administration a report on its comprehensive review, which called for “culture change” and made recommendations for improvements in areas such as mental health and medical services, academic policies, student well-being, and proactive support for struggling students.

The task force characterized recommendations as “immediate,” requiring “limited time and resources”; “intermediate,” which “may take a year or more to achieve”; and “aspirational”—“goals that involve a significant investment of staff time and financial resources, or long-term culture shift.”

When making the report public in October 2020, a six-month delay owing to campus focus on responding to the Covid-19 pandemic, Cornell announced the creation of a seven-member Executive Accountability Committee.

The committee’s four “executive sponsors” and three “change leads” would evaluate and work toward implementing the MHR report’s “robust series of recommendations” in three key areas—academic community, campus community and clinical services.

A statement from the committee posted to the Cornell Health webpage announced: “Progress Updates will be provided by members of the Executive Accountability Committee at the end of each academic semester. Updates will include progress toward specific recommendations from the Mental Health Review.”

The MHR task force had recommended “a widely representative permanent committee on mental health to ensure the implementation of immediate recommendations, and to monitor progress and conduct further review of those recommendations that will require more time and resources to enact.”

The Sophie Fund, which we established in 2016 as a nonprofit advocacy organization supporting mental health initiatives for young people in the greater Ithaca community, commended the task force’s recommendations and the Cornell administration’s commitment to a transparent process for implementing them. We publicly thanked Pollack and Vice President for Student & Campus Life Ryan Lombardi for “recognizing the need for continuous attention to student mental health.”

Over the next two years, however, the Executive Accountability Committee provided sparse and incomplete updates on the implementation progress. In 2022, Cornell halted the specific recommendations updates and disbanded the Executive Accountability Committee.

In October 2022, Pollack announced that Cornell had adopted the international Okanagan Charter and launched a “Health Promoting Campus” initiative.

Cornell administrators said that responsibility for the MHR recommendations and campus mental health policies and practices would now fall to a 25-member Student Well-Being Council (and its six subcommittees) under a “campus-wide Community of Practice.”

On April 30, we asked Pollack’s successor, President Michael Kotlikoff, “to provide a report to the Cornell and Ithaca communities on the status of the 60 core recommendations (130 including sub-recommendations).”

In a letter to Kotlikoff, we wrote that such a report “will illustrate the concrete improvements deserving of recognition that have been made over the past five years as the result of the review commissioned by President Pollack. It will highlight the areas where work still needs to be done, and how Cornell intends to proceed in those areas. Finally, transparently fulfilling a commitment to hold itself accountable will enhance confidence and respect in how Cornell is supporting its students’ well-being and acting as a responsible and valued part of the greater community.”

Kotlikoff declined our request, which was repeated in a series of four further email exchanges in May, June, and July. He explained that Cornell has moved on from a focus on the MHR recommendations in favor of the “Health Promoting Campus” initiative.

On May 7, Kotlikoff wrote:

“Cornell adopted the Okanagan Charter in 2022. This commitment is the next phase of our Mental Health Review, representing a holistic approach focused on promoting health across all aspects of our campus. Through this commitment, we have made significant strides in enhancing support: mental health and well-being have been complemented by policy changes aimed at fostering a supportive environment for our students, guidelines to make policies more health-promoting, embedding well-being into classroom settings, and continuing to provide training to students, staff, and faculty in how to identify individuals in distress.”

Thanking us for our “continued advocacy on behalf of student mental health and well-being in the Cornell and greater Ithaca communities,” Kotlikoff wrote on May 29:

“Since the publication of the Mental Health Review Final Report in 2020, Cornell has made significant progress in implementing in full or part many of the recommendations outlined in the report, as was shared via reports published through October 2022. However, because the landscape of student needs, service delivery, and institutional priorities has shifted dramatically in light of the profound changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, other recommendations have necessarily evolved or been reconsidered. These shifts led Cornell to move from a focus on meeting MHR recommendations to the October 2022 adoption of the Okanagan Charter and launch of the Health Promoting Campus initiative.”

On July 15, Kotlikoff wrote that Cornell has adopted “a much more rigorous assessment and evaluation approach to our work.” He shared that a publication, authored by a Cornell health administrator, “has revealed marked improvement via a simultaneous increase of student flourishing and substantial decreases in levels of students’ anxiety, depression, and psychological distress.”

Kotlikoff, though responding promptly and with courtesy to our emails, did not agree to our request to meet with him to discuss our concerns in person, referring us instead to subordinates in the Cornell administration.

Our current concerns about student mental health at Cornell go beyond the status of the MHR recommendations, as we wrote in our initial letter to President Kotlikoff on April 30.

We said that our concerns include the constant turnover and lengthy gaps in filling key positions at Cornell Health, which we said “raise questions about the administration’s commitment to ensuring robust and consistent leadership for student mental health.”

From our April 30 letter:

“In early 2020, the university created a new position of Assistant Vice President of Student & Campus Life for Health and Well-Being who would be responsible for overseeing student mental health and well-being on the clinical side of Cornell Health and importantly on the academic side of Cornell’s various schools. The AVP was put in charge of supervising implementation of recommendations in the MHR Report, which she declared “underscores the need for significant culture change at Cornell.” At the end of 2021, the AVP announced her resignation citing “all-consuming and exhausting” work that included leading the university’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Despite the critical importance of this particular leadership role for student mental health and well-being and specifically for implementing the MHR recommendations, the Cornell administration left this AVP position leading a 200-person staff vacant for two and a half years until finally promoting an internal applicant in mid-2024. Cornell Health has now had three directors in six years.

“Cornell Health’s Counseling & Psychological Services, which provides essential day-to-day clinical support for Cornell’s students, has also seen three directors in six years, with the most recent director leaving the position just weeks into the current academic year with no permanent replacement appointed thus far seven months later.

“Another key unit, Cornell’s Skorton Center for Health Initiatives, has likewise had three directors in the past four years. As you of course are aware, the Skorton Center is charged with directing campus public health education and training programs for issues such as mental health, alcohol and drug addiction, sexual assault, hazing, and suicide prevention.”

By Scott MacLeod and Susan Hack

Scott MacLeod and Susan Hack are co-founders of The Sophie Fund, established in memory of their daughter Sophie, who died by suicide in Ithaca during a health leave of absence from Cornell.

“I Was Very Good at Hiding My Mental Health Struggles”

September 19, 2025September 19, 2025thesophiefund

In my senior year of high school, I missed six weeks for a mental health hospitalization followed by outpatient programs. If you ask any of my friends now, they could tell you that I could talk about mental health for hours. But until last August, that was never the case.

Psychologist having session with her patient in office

In March 2024, I was at the peak of my academic career—attending conferences, winning international awards, even patenting inventions. A week later, I had a plan to end my life.

That’s what mental illness can look like.

I had a good relationship with my school counselor, and in the middle of that crisis, I went to her. What made her so unique—and what ultimately saved my life—was that she never used my achievements as proof that I was okay. She didn’t say, “But your grades are good, you’re going to Cornell!” She listened and saw past my smile and grades. And because of that, I told her the truth.

I was very good at hiding my mental health struggles. My parents didn’t know, my friends didn’t know, my teachers didn’t know. While I was struggling everyday to keep living, I hung out with friends, maintained grades, and was always studying.

I remember at the height of my mental health crisis, I was doing my physics homework on the ambulance ride from the school to an ER.

While I was hospitalized, I even asked staff to print out my AP Calc BC worksheets so I wouldn’t be behind.

My doctor at this hospital saw my smile, not my suffering. Even fellow patients said I seemed “too normal” to need help. That’s when I learned how invisible mental illness can be when it hides behind high achievement. And how almost no one, not even mental health professionals, believe you if you don’t look the part.

Moments before I planned to die, I was in my best friend’s favorite place. Images of her never being able to see it the same way if I passed flooded my mind. I didn’t want to ruin the place she loved most.

So I got help. After I was hospitalized, I found out that my best friends, within 24 hours, had rushed to my favorite teacher, who canceled her morning classes just to be with them. That moment became my proof that I mattered.

I went through inpatient and outpatient treatment that introduced me to almost every type of therapy, I learned about the importance of sharing lived experiences, and I tried so many different medications until one felt right.

I made it to graduation—something I’d never planned.

Halfway through the summer, I realized I had never fully recovered. Though I was scared, I chose to get help again.

At the emergency room, with my therapist by my side, the doctor looked at me and said: “It’s as if you came to the ER with no broken bones and asked for a cast. Inpatient is for sick people. And to me, you just look like a smart girl who’s stressed. You can go home.”

That was the worst moment of my life. I was asking for help, not avoiding it, and still, the way I presented myself, my biggest defense, prevented my care. I hated myself.

Though I wanted to give up, my loved ones convinced me to try again. I was thankfully admitted to McLean Hospital, a psychiatric hospital outside Boston, where these doctors believed that I was sick despite my smile.

I met a Nobel Prize winner, a Harvard professor, and a psychologist at the hospital who were also receiving care. They were accomplished individuals who still needed help.

I finally found proof and assurance that mental health has no look. It doesn’t always look like failing classes or crying in public or missing work. Sometimes, it looks like straight As, laughing with friends, and college acceptances. During my stay at McLean, I received a diagnosis that made everything click, and I was stable enough to move into my freshman dorm at Cornell one week after being discharged.

I am proud of myself and my progress. Don’t get me wrong. There are days I can’t get out of bed. And days I feel amazing. My courage was once measured by keeping secrets. Now courage means reaching out for help, using coping skills, and taking medication.

My counselor used to say that chaos creates change. 2024 was the most chaotic year of my life, but because of it I am better. Now I get to study what I love, support others through crisis work, and speak openly about mental health.

Every 40 seconds, someone takes their life. That’s over 720,000 people every year. Mental illness does not discriminate. So, please: check in with your loved ones, especially those who seem the happiest. I am grateful for my high school for caring about mental health, and most importantly, I am thankful for my teachers, counselors, and best friends.

Let me end with this, especially if you’re struggling. Suicide is preventable and is important to talk about. You may not want to exist right now, but someone is so happy that you have stayed for them. There are so many places to go, so many friends to love, and so much time to live.

It takes a lot of strength to do your best when you feel your worst. Ask for help if you need it. Ask for it until someone listens. Never stop asking, because if I gave up on trying a year ago, I wouldn’t have made it. Remember that mental illness has no look, and most importantly, that someone loves you.

—By Anonymous

Anonymous is a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences majoring in neurobiology and cognitive science at Cornell University

If you or someone you know feels the need to speak with a mental health professional, you can call or text the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741-741.

Passion to Prevent Suicide

September 12, 2025thesophiefund

To the rustling pom poms of the Dryden High School cheerleader squad, more than 250 people raised over $43,000 in the 13th Annual Greater Ithaca Out of the Darkness Walk on September 6 organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Greater Central New York Chapter.

The community walk, amid a drizzle in Lansing’s Myers Park on the edge of Cayuga Lake, is among 400 held across the country every year designed to raise awareness, support survivors of suicide loss, and collect funds for research, training, and educational programming.

Walkers included many people who lost a family member, friend, or colleague to suicide.

Once again L3 Lisa’s Lagomorph Legion was the top fundraising team, collecting $4,527. Team Hope brought in $4,240; Jack’s Pack $1,205; Team Beginnings $940; and 988 Lifeline Legends $735.

To add a donation to AFSP, click here.

Two well-known local mental health advocates shared personal experiences during the event’s opening ceremony.

Samantha Shoemaker, founder of Free HUGS Ithaca, recounted her struggles with deep depression and how it took more than three years before combinations of therapy and medications—which she initially resisted—eased her pain.

“I felt so alone, though my friends were checking on me. The couple times when I was vulnerable enough to share how much pain I was in, nobody asked any questions or made any substantial, non-cliche comments. It was like I didn’t know how to talk about it, and they didn’t know how to address it. I was a burden. Debby downer. I knew depression was kicking my ass,” she said.

Samantha Shoemaker of Free HUGS Ithaca speaks during opening ceremony

Now, Shoemaker said, “I no longer challenge the need for meds and have taken science into full consideration and the fact that the chemistry of my organics works well with specific chemicals, aka meds, that make me feel okay. I have fortunately found the combination of meds that has given my brain enough time to process things in a way that works for me and my life now. I had enough relief in between trials to give me hope to try again. That was the key, trying again. Not giving up.”

“Though I don’t think it will ever go away, living with the dark has made the light so much brighter. Without all the bad, all of this wouldn’t be as appreciated and welcomed with gratitude,” she added.

Darrell Harrington, the founder of Be Kind Ithaca, shared his story of being badly bullied at summer camp and in school, and how anxiety then followed him into adulthood.

He became a rock musician and for 30 years lived his dream, touring the country with amazing bands, performing before thousands of spectators, appearing in independent films, and meeting many of his rock idols.

Yet he regularly felt nauseous with his heart racing for no apparent reason, and experienced a lack of motivation, exhaustion, and a very short temper. After several years of worrying that he was having heart attacks he had many tests done but doctors could find nothing physically wrong.

Be Kind Ithaca’s Darrell Harrington shares his story about anxiety

“About 13 years ago, my band mate and great friend Mikey suggested that I should go see a therapist,” he said. “I thought he was out of his mind. I’m tough and strong, and fine. Why should I go to a therapist?”

Harrington began seeing a therapist, who helped him explore unresolved issues from being bullied years earlier. Meanwhile, his primary care physician prescribed anti-anxiety medication. Yet he seemed to get worse. So much so, that he eventually started thinking of a way to end his own life.

One night he finally revealed the full depth of his pain to his wife, Jacque, who helped him put a plan into action. His therapist diagnosed severe anxiety disorder and suggested he seek further help at Tompkins County Mental Health Services.

“Thank God I went. I had some of the best therapists and psychologists help me throughout the years. And at this point I am proud to say that I am controlling my anxiety and it is not controlling me. I do have days, and they are not easy. But I have the tools and the knowledge to know how to handle them,” Harrington said.

“I’m not sure what would have happened if I didn’t wake Jaqcue up and tell her everything that night. If you are suffering, please, please, please, reach out to someone. I know it’s hard. I really know how hard it is. But there is help out there for you and there are many amazing people that want to help you.”

Harrington ended by sharing a quote that Jacque gave him to remember if he is having a tough time: “Always remember, you are braver than you think, stronger than you seem, and loved more than you know.”

Walk committee member Emily Georgia closed the ceremony singing “Better Days,” by Irish performer and song writer Dermot Kennedy.

“Together we strive to be the difference in our community, together we will save lives and bring hope to those affected by suicide,” said Walk Chair Crystal Howser. “We are sending the message to others that they are not alone. If I can save one life, save one family from the pain of losing a loved one to suicide. I am making a difference. Gratitude to everyone who helps make this walk so successful.”

AFSP Organizers Stacy Ayres and Crystal Howser

The 2025 Greater Ithaca Out of the Darkness Walk was sponsored by:

The Strebel Planning Group’s Fund for Community Enrichment; Borgwarner; Mirabito Energy Products; Mirabito Cares; Visions Federal Credit Union; Solomon Organization; Lansing Funeral Home; Triad Foundation; Beginnings Credit Union, Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County; Guthrie; Wildlife Resolutions; CSP Management; 23 North Restaurant & Bar/Pizza & Bones; Cayuga Health; True Insurance; Tioga State Bank Foundation.

NAMI Walks for Mental Health

May 6, 2025May 7, 2025thesophiefund

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.

A Cornell Campus Walk to Prevent Suicide

April 16, 2025thesophiefund

Under sunny Spring skies, 200 students, staff, and faculty raised more than $12,600 on April 13 in the third annual Out of the Darkness Walk for suicide prevention on the Cornell University campus.

Cornell Dance Team in the Out of the Darkness Walk

Dispatched by the Big Red Marching Band, participants including the Cornell Dance Team, squash and fencing athletes, and the superhero known as the Cornell Batman trekked a two-mile route from Barton Hall along Garden Avenue, to Tower Road, and then Campus Road back to the starting point.

“You are making a difference,” said walk organizer Cheyanne Scholl, welcoming the participants inside Barton Hall. “You decided today that mental health and suicide prevention is an important issue and needs to be talked about. I applaud and appreciate every single one of you for being here and standing up in the fight against suicide and raising awareness for mental health issues.”

Walking on Garden Avenue

Featured speaker Disha Mudenur, a first-year Cornell student, shared her personal story of overcoming suicidal thoughts and getting help. Because she excelled in her studies—she attended conferences, won international awards, and even patented inventions—even some healthcare professionals discounted her illness. She credits her high school counselor for putting her on the path for treatment.

Featured Speaker Disha Mudenur

“I was very good at hiding my mental health struggles. She listened and saw past my smile and grades. And because of that, I told her the truth,” she recalled.

“Let me leave you with this, especially if you’re struggling. You may not want to exist right now, but someone is so happy that you have stayed for them. There are so many places to go, so many friends to love, and so much time to live. It takes a lot of strength to do your best when you feel your worst. Ask for help if you need it, and ask for it until someone listens. Never stop asking.”

Audrey McDougal, a licensed social worker with Cornell’s NY FarmNet, related that she has seen firsthand how mental health challenges and emotional pain can isolate people at a time when they are in greatest need of connection. She said she loves the “Strength in Numbers” motto of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors.

“The Warriors use this motto to indicate their selflessness, the power in everyone having a role. It speaks to collective effort, of what we can accomplish when we are not alone. At the Out of Darkness walks, I see countless people who are willing to bear witness to pain together. I see people talking about the hard things, accepting others without judgment, and overcoming the fear that can arise with offering—and accepting—help. I see strength in numbers,” McDougal said.

Audrey McDougal of Cornell’s NY FarmNet

Closing out the program, John Grealish, a fourth-year student in the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, performed “Rainbows Over Coeur d’Alene” in memory of a friend and fellow Cornell vet student, Yiannis Stathopoulos, who died by suicide in 2022.

Grealish’s original song was inspired by his experience at a veterinary leadership retreat in Idaho, which Stathopoulos had attended a year earlier shortly before his death. During a boat ride in the rain on Lake Coeur d’Alene, the participants sang “Lean on Me” in Stathopoulos’s memory. Grealish recalled that when they stepped ashore, a rainbow suddenly appeared overhead.

“Anyone who knew Yiannis would know that this is a person who was a source of brightness and friendship to everyone. He was accepting of everyone. He was a natural born leader,” Grealish said.

John Grealish performs “Rainbows Over Coeur d’Alene”

About 600 Out of the Darkness walks are held across the United States each year by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) to raise awareness, collect research funds, give hope and show solidarity to those who struggle with suicidal thoughts and to suicide loss survivors, and send a message that “suicide is preventable and no one is alone.”

In 2023, 173 college campus walks with 26,000 participants raised $1.6 million. So far, the three Cornell walks from 2023 to 2025 have collected more than $44,000 in donations.

Among the participants in the 2025 Cornell Walk were 13 fundraising teams, with the Cornell HR Community Walk Team bringing in the most funds, $1,765. Other top teams included the Cornell Out of the Darkness Planning Committee, Cornell Athletics, and Team Hope. Leon and Jules Ginenthal were the top two individual fundraisers, with $735 and $663, respectively.

Participants were provided with “honor beads,” necklaces in vibrant colors signifying their connection to the suicide prevention cause—white for the loss of a child, red for the loss of a spouse or partner, gold for the loss of a parent, orange for the loss of a sibling, purple for the loss of a friend or relative, silver for the loss of a first responder or military member, green for personal attempt or struggle, teal for someone who struggles or has attempted suicide, blue for supporting the cause, and rainbow for the LGBTQ+ community.

A light to guide through the darkness

This year’s sponsors included: Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County; Cornell University NY FarmNet; Halco Home Solutions; Zach Clark State Farm; Be Kind Ithaca; Taste of Thai Express; and Big Red Barbershop.

Cornellians left messages on the “Why We Walk” wall:

To support the cause

For myself and my brother. You are not alone!

In memory of Nick Budney

For my best friend Holly

To give someone hope

For the friends I almost lost. There is hope beyond the darkness.

To show up for those who could not. Even for themselves.

To remind myself that I am not alone

A light to guide through the darkness—Batman

CHAOS CREATES CHANGE!!

Your life is more precious than money, grades, human determinations of success. There is only one you and you are irreplaceable.