We spoke with Marisa Giarnella, Founder of the Jordan Porco Foundation, as well as Fred Kaelin, Executive Director of the Jordan Porco Foundation, about their mission to prevent suicide, promote mental health, and create a message of hope for young adults.
The Jordan Porco Foundation provides engaging and uplifting programming emphasizing peer-to-peer messaging promoting help-seeking behavior, self-care, and coping skills. Their programs challenge stigma by talking openly about mental health and educating the public about the risk factors and warning signs of suicide and other related mental health concerns. They run multiple programs including their flagship program, Fresh Check Day, which has been approved for inclusion in the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC)’s new Best Practices Registry.
The Best Practices Registry (BPR) is a resource library of programs and interventions that apply suicide prevention frameworks for specific populations and uses. Each listing is rigorously evaluated by SPRC’s experts to ensure it adheres to current suicide prevention standards and demonstrates effectiveness in addressing factors that impact suicide prevention.
CLICK HERE for more information, to donate and/or to get involved.
If you, or someone you know, is in a mental health crisis or emergency, please call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline for 24/7 support. Please call 911 if you, or someone you know, is in immediate danger. It is important to notify the operator that it is a psychiatric emergency and ask for police officers trained in crisis intervention or trained to assist people experiencing a psychiatric emergency.
Pictured: Marisa Giarnella, Founder of the Jordan Porco Foundation, and Fred Kaelin, Executive Director of the Jordan Porco FoundationPhoto: Renee DiNino
Pictured: Jordan Porco