When a child is struggling, the people who love them most may not realize how much they are hurting or know what to say. Join youth suicide prevention expert Jonathan B. Singer, PhD, LCSW, for practical guidance on recognizing the signs, starting difficult conversations, and helping a child feel heard and supported.
In this presentation, attendees will learn how to:
*See the common risk factors and warning signs, even when a child appears to be doing well.
*Say the right words to ask directly about suicide with calm and confidence.
*Support a struggling child in a way that helps them feel heard, believed, and less alone.
This event is intended for parents and caregivers of children in grades K–12, as well as educators and school professionals who support young people.
[The Sophie Fund expresses its gratitude to The Wellness Institute, a division of the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute, for providing free access to this presentation for the Tompkins County community.]
Every year, to mark Sophie’s birthday on August 23 we launch our annual fundraising appeal. Please consider making a donation today to support The Sophie Fund’s work aiding the mental health of young people in the Ithaca and Tompkins County communities. 100% of donations go directly toward the grants we provide to mental health providers and community organizations for training and programming; and to our modest operating costs.
Thank you for being part of our collective mental health mission!
—Training in mental health and suicide prevention for Ithaca-area clinicians, social workers, and community members. This includes The Wellness Institute’s annual suicide prevention conference next March; discrete training modules for evidence-based treatment protocols such as Safety Planning and Lethal Means Counseling; and a forum to engage our local primary care practices in suicide prevention. We have now trained more than 250 clinicians in Tompkins County, including the entire counseling center staffs of Cornell University and Ithaca College.
A few highlights of The Sophie Fund’s activities over the past 12 months:
—In March, The Sophie Fund financially sponsored the participation of 56 Tompkins County healthcare professionals in a two-day online suicide prevention training featuring some of the nation’s leading experts.
—The Sophie Fund partnered with the Ithaca Beer Co. during Mental Health Awareness Month in May to highlight the mental health information and treatment resources that are available in Tompkins County.
—In our annual “Cupcake Button” fundraising campaign, we collaborated with five Cornell University student organizations to collect $1,119.00 for the Ithaca Welcomes Refugees (IWR) organization.
—Four students in the Master of Public Health program at Cornell University produced public health communications projects for The Sophie Fund: A Student’s Guide to College Mental Health; Recipes to Make When You Reeaally Don’t Feel Like Cooking; and two social media campaigns, “Winter Wellness Tips” and an English-Chinese posts directing international students to mental health resources.
—As a member of the New York State Suicide Prevention Council we contributed to the development of the New York State Suicide Prevention Plan (to be released in September); and to oversight of a $3.5 million federal SAMHSA grant to advance the Zero Suicide Model in 40 Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs) throughout New York State.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month, promoting a cause that is dear to Ithaca Beer Co. and The Sophie Fund. The two organizations are partnering this year to highlight the many mental health information and treatment resources that are available in Tompkins County.
Zach McGovern and Valerie Consiglio-Nickerson, Taproom managers at Ithaca Beer
Throughout the month, Ithaca Beer will provide its customers with a resource card listing local providers for psychotherapy and psychiatry, addiction counseling, support groups, peer counseling, and sexual violence support.
The card’s flip side contains 5 Simple Steps, a brief safety plan that can help prevent an immediate mental health challenge from escalating. With the card’s QR code, users can download the resources to their smart phones.
“Mental health is a fundamental aspect of overall health, and is too often ignored, under supported, and stigmatized,” said Jess Mitchell, Ithaca Beer Co. director of operations. “We welcome hundreds of visitors monthly, giving us the platform to reach our community widely. We are committed to doing our part to connect people with the resources they need.”
Ithaca Beer and The Sophie Fund are also running a mental health awareness campaign on social media, pointing to local resources, breaking the stigma around mental health, and encouraging anyone who is struggling to reach out for help.
The organizations, along with Better Together for Mental Health, will host a special Mental Health Awareness Month gathering for local mental health workers honoring their dedication and impact. The event will take place at Ithaca Beer on May 28.
Scott MacLeod, co-founder of The Sophie Fund, expressed gratitude for Ithaca Beer’s effort to promote mental health in the community.
“Stigma remains an obstacle that prevents many people who are struggling from acknowledging they need help or actually reaching out to loved ones or professionals for support,” he said.
“When a high-profile company like Ithaca Beer steps up to actively help normalize talking about mental health, it makes all the difference. Nobody should suffer in silence when help is available.”
DOWNLOAD Mental Health Support and Crisis Services 2026
For the fourth year in a row, organizers held an “Out of the Darkness” suicide prevention awareness walk on the Cornell University campus April 26.
Some 120 students, faculty, staff, and community members, encouraged by Free Hugs Ithaca, Be Kind Ithaca, and the superhero known as the Cornell Batman, trekked the 2-mile route snaking from Barton Hall around campus and back again on a bright Spring afternoon.
The 2026 Walk begins!
The walkers raised more than $10,000, bringing to $60,000-plus the monies raised in the Cornell Walks for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. AFSP uses the funds for awareness programming as well as to develop evidence-based methods for treating suicidality and preventing suicide deaths.
Walk Chair Cheyanne Scholl, a staff member at Cornell’s College of Veterinary Medicine, noted that Cornellians have been affected by campus suicide deaths this year as well as by government cutbacks for mental health.
“You being here today is showing that there is something to fight for. Every dollar raised today is going back into suicide prevention in the form of research, advocacy, and prevention efforts,” said Scholl.
“Cornell is currently the only Ivy League institution with a multi-year Out of the Darkness Walk,” she added. “That is something to be very proud of!”
Cornell students preparing for the Walk
During the speakers’ program, Nambita Sahai, a Cornell junior studying biology, called on her fellow students to overcome the stigma around mental health.
“No matter how someone seems, they may be fighting battles you can’t see. Cornell is full of brilliant, driven, compassionate people, but it’s easy to feel like you’re the only one struggling,” said Sahai, the current president of Cornell’s student-run Empathy, Assistance & Referral Service (EARS).
“While improving campus mental health feels like a universal goal, many aspects of it are still stigmatized. It’s easier to talk about stress over a test than to admit you can’t get out of bed or take care of yourself. We ask each other how we’re doing, but we don’t always expect honest answers. And it’s still difficult to ask for mental health days or find consistent support from all professors,” she said.
Sahai said that Cornell students can find meaningful support through services like EARS but also just being there for each other.
“There is a lot of evidence that students turn to peers before formal therapy, which means we all have a role in supporting each other. It can be as simple as asking someone to expand on how they feel and actually listening. Sometimes people just want to be heard, to have a space to talk, and to form authentic relationships.”
Members of the Walk team: Crysal Howser, Cheyanne Scholl, Emily Georgia, and Stacy Ayres
Another speaker was Sandra Sorensen, executive director of the Finger Lakes chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, who echoed Sahai’s plea to overcome stigma.
Sorensen related how her husband Michael, although the creative, sharp-minded, outwardly larger than life father of five and doctoral candidate at Cornell, died by suicide in 2021. Inside, she said, Michael dealt with bipolar and major depressive disorder.
“Stigma kept him from seeking help and forced him to continue to perform at his best,” she explained. “Michael didn’t talk about his mental health. We as a family didn’t talk about it either, as we were held to his silence and the stigma that he felt. We can look at the high achieving Michaels of Cornell and within our social circles and say, ‘Not them.’ But, ‘Yes, them.’ We need to talk about it. We need to check in on our friends and family.”
More than 500 AFSP Out of the Darkness Walks are held across the country each year. Besides raising funds, the Walks send a message that “suicide is preventable, and no one is alone,” and help build a community around mental health. They show solidarity and bring hope for suicide attempt survivors or loss survivors.
Among the participants in the 2026 Cornell Walk were 12 fundraising teams, with Alpha Gamma Rho bringing in the most funds, $920. Other top teams included Cornell CARE, Team Hope, Stronger Together, and the Cornell Out of the Darkness Planning Committee. Michell Moyal collected $1,227 in donations, becoming the top individual fundraiser.
For the Honor Beads ceremony
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.
Why Do You Walk?
Cornellians left messages on the “Why Do You Walk” wall:
Talk about it! PLEASE!
Ask for help
To show up for those who could not for themselves
YOU ARE LOVED!
In memory of Nick Budney
For my best friend Holly
Give healing 1 more try
For myself and my brother. You are not alone!
To remind myself that I am not alone!
For Jack. I miss you!
A light to guide through the darkness—Batman
My Uncle Tim
For the friends I almost lost. There is hope beyond the darkness.
To give someone hope
You deserve to be here
Compassion
This year’s sponsors were: Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services of Tompkins County; NY FarmNet; Halco Home Solutions; Be Kind Ithaca; Free Hugs Ithaca; and Rosie’s Café and Parlor.
Sandra Sorensen and Kathy Taylor
Darrell Harrington and Samantha Shoemaker
Big Red Bear, Cornell Batman & Friends
Empathy Assistance, and Referral Service
Photo credits: Zoe Phemister-Jimenez and Crystal Howser
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.
Besides finishing up Spring semester, a team of Cornell University volunteers has another goal: getting fellow Cornellians to open up about their mental health and to utilize support resources if they need them.
Students participating in the 2025 AFSP Campus Walk at Cornell
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s fourth annual “Out of the Darkness” Campus Walk at Cornell will take place on Sunday April 26. The committee of volunteers led by chief organizer Cheyanne Scholl includes Cornell staff, students, and faculty along with community members.
“The walk aims to improve the visibility of mental and physical health resources on the Ithaca campus while also reminding all members of campus that they are not alone if they are struggling,” said Scholl.
“As a student-facing manager on campus, I constantly hear about how stressed and overworked these students are and they continue to stretch themselves thinner and thinner,” Scholl added.
“We need to continue talking about mental health and make sure they know where to turn when things feel too big and too hard to manage. The walk benefits campus by starting conversations about suicide prevention and mental health as well as providing a wide array of potential resources to turn to when you need them most.”
Disha, one of the student organizers, stresses the benefits of raising awareness on campus.
“Most people here don’t talk about mental health,” she said. “We aren’t really taught how to stay on top of our mental health nor do people realize how to use the services. People act like they are never sad or upset, even though that’s totally normal. Mental health needs to be talked about more.”
The 2023, 2024, and 2025 Cornell Campus Walks brought participation from hundreds of students, faculty, and staff and raised more than $50,000 for AFSP research and programming. The goal this year is to collect $15,000 in donations.
More than 500 AFSP Out of the Darkness walks are held across the country each year. Besides raising funds, the walks send a message that “suicide is preventable, and no one is alone,” and help build a community around mental health. They show solidarity and bring hope for suicide attempt survivors or loss survivors.
Fundraising or donating are not requirements to take part in the Campus Walk; everyone from the Cornell community and beyond is welcome.
The event starts at 11 a.m. in Barton Hall with Campus Walk check-ins; a mental health resource fair featuring local and campus health providers; yard games; a raffle with donated items from local and campus businesses; a memorial and positivity sticky note wall; snacks including cotton candy and popcorn, and more.
At 12 Noon the kickoff ceremony will commence with speakers, and an honor bead ceremony to commemorate lost loved ones and lived experiences. Speakers include Nambita Sahai, co-president of Cornell’s Empathy, Assistance & Referral Service (EARS); and Sandra Sorensen, executive director of NAMI Finger Lakes based in Ithaca.
Walkers will follow an accessible two-mile route through the center of the beautiful Cornell campus. It is for people of all fitness levels and abilities. Participants may also walk/roll on Barton Hall’s indoor track.
Sponsors of this year’s Cornell Campus Walk include: Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services of Tompkins County; NY FarmNet; Halco Home Solutions; Be Kind Ithaca; Free Hugs Ithaca; and Taste of Thai Express.
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.
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