American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

Supporting Mental Health in Tompkins Schools

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Five Ithaca-based mental health organizations have released the 2026-27 edition of their resource guide, “Mental Health Support & Suicide Prevention for Schools in Tompkins County.”

National and local surveys document the seriousness of a mental health crisis affecting young people. In a survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 40 percent of high schoolers said they experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness. Twenty-nine percent reported poor mental health, and 20 percent said they had considered taking their own lives.

A survey of high school and middle school students in Tompkins County showed similar patterns although lower than the national data. Forty-four percent said they felt anxious or worried on most days, 32 percent felt sad or depressed on most days, 28 percent said that “sometimes I think life is not worth it,” and 11 percent reported thoughts of suicide.

DOWNLOAD: Mental Health Support & Suicide Prevention for Schools in Tompkins County

To support Tompkins County schools, the resources guide was first launched in 2024 by the Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention Greater Central New York, National Alliance on Mental Illness Finger Lakes, Mental Health Association in Tompkins County, and The Sophie Fund.

“Statistically, mental health education in schools is one of the most important initiatives, based on suicide rates and other youth mental health statistics,” said Sandra Sorensen, executive director of NAMI Finger Lakes. “Creating, finding, and presenting curriculum can add an extra burden to educators.”

“This booklet outlines the free programs and services available to students, parents, and teachers offered by local mental health nonprofit organizations. Participants also benefit from learning about external, local resources and community connections. This creates a broader, more diverse, supportive network,” Sorensen added. 

If you have a comment, concern, or suggestion about mental health in Tompkins schools, please feel free to email it to The Sophie Fund: thesophiefund2016@gmail.com.

After a brief “Mental Health & Suicide 101” introduction, the guide details the mental health and suicide prevention education and training that the organizations are ready to present to Tompkins school administrators, teachers, students, and parents.

The guide compiles handbooks and toolkits to assist Tompkins schools in developing mental health promotion and bullying prevention programming as well as suicide prevention strategies in their school communities. The guide points to recommendations for youth use of social media issued by the U.S. Surgeon General and the American Psychological Association.

DOWNLOAD: 5 Simple Steps

The guide also includes 5 Simple Steps, a downloadable “safety plan” young people (or adults) can consult if they are feeling overwhelmed with a deteriorating mood.

The five organizations requested an opportunity to meet directly with the seven Tompkins County school superintendents and their leadership teams to provide a presentation on the support services available and respond to any concerns or questions they may have. The organizations have met with the Ithaca, Trumansburg, and Lansing districts, but Groton, Dryden, and Newfield have not yet scheduled a meeting.

Administrators, teachers, families: REQUEST A FREE TRAINING for assemblies, classes, or parent meetings

Walking Out of the Darkness

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More than 250 people raised over $69,000 in the 14th Annual Greater Ithaca Out of the Darkness Walk on September 12 organized by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Greater Central New York Chapter.

Organizers at the Out of the Darkness Ithaca Walk

The scene at Lansing’s Myers Park mixed sadness, hope, and moments of joy: the walk included loss survivors adorned with colored “honor beads” remembering someone lost to suicide; moms and dads pushing strollers bearing the next generation; a Goldendoodle and other pets sniffing their way; a medieval knight; and Andy Armadillo.

Everyone was sent walking with the razzle dazzle of Dryden High School cheerleaders under a bright sky over Cayuga Lake.

The Ithaca event is among 400 walks held across the country every year designed to raise awareness, support survivors of suicide loss, and collect funds for AFSP’s research, training, and educational programming. A local spring walk takes place on the Cornell University campus.

Crystal Howser of AFSP and Darrell Harrington of Be Kind Ithaca

Thirty-four fundraising teams surpassed the Walk’s target goal of $61,000. It set the Ithaca Walk’s record for fundraising.

Team Beginnings was the top fundraising team, collecting $8,545. L3 Lisa’s Lagomorph Legion was next with $7,061, followed by Team Hope with $3,646. The top fundraiser was Amanda Gilmore, who collected $3,636 in donations.

To add a donation to AFSP, click here.

“As we embark on today’s walk, I stand here looking at our village with hope and gratitude,” said Walk Co-Chair Crystal Howser, recalling that when she and Stacy Ayres founded the Ithaca Walk in 2012 “we had no idea what we were doing.”

“Never underestimate what you can achieve and the difference you can make in the lives of others. Though our stories may differ, we join with one unified, powerful goal: to end suicide.”

“On this journey, strangers turn into friends and friends turn into family as we connect with one another and navigate through our grief.  Together, we are strong, together we are making a difference, together we are saving lives.”

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

The opening ceremony heard from Elizabeth Scanlon, a Cortland High School student who is the New York Teen for International American Women of Service. She shared that she has suffered from treatment-resistant major depressive disorder for years.

“My journey has been long and difficult, but I stand in front of you today being able to talk about it after 16 years of relentless work on myself,” she said. “It took many years of working on myself for me to feel better. And that came when I started to work on my mental health myself. I changed my mindset around life and how I saw myself.”

Scanlan said that she is committed to using her experience to help others.

“Now I hope to help make someone else’s journey a smoother road,” she said. “I made it my mission to help other people going through the same or similar struggles as I was.”

“I see a world where there’s hope, love, and acceptance with support. Where we can be open about our struggles to help others who face them. This will help us eliminate dangerous stigmas preventing people from reaching out for help that they desperately need,” Scanlon said.

New York Teen for International American Women of Service Elizabeth Scanlon

Before the walk began along the Myers Park circuit, Aidan Locke sang “Say So,” a song released earlier this year by country musicians Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney who perform as Dan + Shay. The song was inspired by the suicide death of their mentor, and its lyrics stress the importance of seeking help and supporting those who are struggling.

The chorus goes:

If your light burns out and you’re in the dark
If you can’t pick up the pieces
If the world you trusted falls apart
If your heart’s run out of reasons
I’ll be there every time you call
Pick you up every time you fall
If you’rе going through hell, you’re not alone
If you need somеbody, say so.

Ithaca Walk Co-Founders Stacy Ayres and Crystal Howser conduct the honor beads ceremony

The 2026 Out of the Darkness Itaca Walk was sponsored by:

Mirabito, Ithaca Apartment Management/Solomon Organization, Beginnings Credit Union, Maguire Foundation, The Strebel Planning Group and their Fund for Community Enrichment, 23 North Restaurant/Pizza and Bones, Suicide Prevention & Crisis Service of Tompkins County, Triad Foundation, Centralus Health/Cayuga Health, Guthrie, Texas Roadhouse, Seven7Brew, Synergy IT Services, Lansing Funeral Home Wildlife Resolutions, CSP Management, Ehrhart Energy, Visions Credit Union, Tioga State Bank Foundation, Cayuga Lake National Bank, Dave Hatfield/Hatfield Catering, Brehmstone Photography, Close Sound, Wegmans, Sumo Restaurant, Moore’s Family Farm, Lansing Business Alliance, and Cayuga Radio Group.

Walkers at the Opening Ceremony

Andy Armadillo and friends

L3 Lisa’s Lagomorph Legion team

Ithaca Pride Alliance

NAMI Finger Lakes

Thank You

The Sophie Fund

The future

Cornellians Support Suicide Prevention

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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

To connect with AFSP’s campus efforts, email: cornellafsp@gmail.com.

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.

For AFSP support and/or other resources, please visit www.afsp.org/get-help and www.afsp.org/resources.

Cornellians: Join the Campus Walk to Prevent Suicide on April 26!

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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.

Click here to register, create a fundraising team, or donate to the Cornell Campus Walk

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.

To connect with AFSP’s campus efforts, email: cornellafsp@gmail.com.

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.

For AFSP support and/or other resources, please visit www.afsp.org/get-help and www.afsp.org/resources.

Passion to Prevent Suicide

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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.