Second Wind Fund, Second Wind Fund of Boulder County
Announce They Are Parting Ways
Second Wind Fund of Boulder County Changes Name to “Rise Against Suicide”
The two agencies will continue to serve the geographic areas they support today. Rise Against Suicide is focused on youth residing in the areas served by the Boulder Valley and Saint Vrain Valley school districts. SWF is focused on the school districts in 30 plus other counties in the state of Colorado.
"Our services are staying the same, and we won’t miss a beat in serving uninsured or underinsured at-risk local youth struggling with suicide," said Jenna Clinchard, Executive Director of Rise Against Suicide. "We believe this is the best solution to serve as many kiddos as possible."
Youth have been struggling with mental health even more acutely since COVID-19 began. While it is too early to have a lot of data, Colorado is reporting that teens are struggling with social isolation, the challenges of online learning, uncertainty about school reopening plans, child care, and increased levels of homelessness and food insecurity – leading to increased anxiety, stress, depression, and at times, suicide. With this knowledge, both organizations know they must be readily available for all kids in the counties they serve.
“We understand this is an unusual time to be changing our name and rebranding; however, we have confidence that this is the right time. The name change will allow us to clarify our organization’s mission and whom we serve in our community,” Clinchard said. “This clarity will allow parents and youth to easily find Rise Against Suicide and immediately get the help they need.”
“I could not be happier for Second Wind Fund of Boulder County – now Rise Against Suicide. Over the last few years, they have created their own identity and continued to provide access to life-saving therapy for hundreds of Boulder County youth,” said Chris Weiss, Executive Director of SWF. “I look forward to future collaborations in our ongoing fight against youth suicide in Colorado.”
Both Rise Against Suicide and SWF share the same model; they work with school counselors and staff to identify kids struggling with suicidal ideation, and then connect those kids with a licensed therapist – regardless of the family's ability to pay. Both organizations continue to focus on the same mission: “to decrease the incidence of suicide in children and youth by removing the financial and social barriers to treatment.”
“We are grateful for the opportunity to have worked with and built our foundation under the leadership of Second Wind Fund. We will continue to collaborate with them as appropriate to ensure all kids are getting the help they need,” said Bob Kilcullen, board chair of Rise Against Suicide. “We settled on the name, ‘Rise Against Suicide,’ because we envision this as a call to the community to come together to prevent youth suicide; we can't help these kids without our community's support.”
“Second Wind Fund of Boulder County [now Rise Against Suicide] remains an important partner and advocate in the fight against youth suicide,” said Michael Juba, board chair, SWF. “The time has come for the organization to adopt an identity of its own and to continue its important mission serving the youth of Boulder Valley and Saint Vrain Valley school districts. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with Rise Against Suicide in the future.”
