Your Community. Your Kids.
About Second Wind Fund, Inc.
About Second Wind Fund, Inc.
Scott Fletcher, Jeff Lamontagne, and Dr. Marjorie Laird founded SWF in 2002. In 2009 our flagship Affiliate, Second Wind Fund of Metro Denver (SWFMD), was formed to manage the local program in the six county Denver metro area. Second Wind Fund, Inc. continues to manage the national program and the Affiliates. Marjorie is the President of the Second Wind Fund, Inc. Board of Directors. Jeff served as Executive Director of the organization for 9 years and continues to be involved as a volunteer. Scott served on the SWFMD Board of Directors for 7 years, including a year as President.
While other suicide prevention organizations offer broad suicide prevention education and awareness, SWF offers actual treatment services to at-risk youth. It is essential that youth receive treatment immediately. SWF has built an innovative program to urgently match an at-risk youth, who may be displaying suicidal tendencies, with a therapist in their neighborhood. There is no red tape, no delays while insurance gets approved, and complete anonymity. If the referred teen does not have insurance or the means to pay for the necessary mental health treatment, the care is paid for by SWF.
When necessary, SWF clients have up to 20 sessions with a specialized, licensed therapist, as frequently as necessary until the teen’s suicidal thoughts have turned to life-long coping skills.
Mission
The mission of Second Wind Fund, Inc. is to decrease the incidence of teen suicide nationally by removing financial and social barriers to treatment for all at-risk youth and to create a network of local Affiliates to provide such services in their own communities.
Inclusivity Statement
Toward this end, Second Wind Fund, Inc. actively seeks to promote access, equity, and inclusiveness. SWF has the conviction that inclusiveness benefits everyone and is not only compatible with but also promotes excellence.
History
During the 2001-2002 school year, four students at Green Mountain High School (GMHS) in Jefferson County, Colorado, completed suicide in a nine-month time frame. The community in general, but especially the high school community, were profoundly affected.
Second Wind Fund was initiated by Green Mountain Presbyterian Church (GMPC) in September 2002 following these four suicides. On September 8, 2002, GMPC held a small walk/run in association with its annual church summer picnic. A few members planned the event over a short period of time, and the event was not publicized except for a few neighborhood flyers. Most of the 66 people that participated were GMPC members or their friends. Still, due to the generosity of GMPC participants and those who gave them pledges, enough money was raised to be of help to GMHS students. We just didn't know how it would be used at that point!
After GMPC members met with high school counselors to determine how to best use the funds, SWF counseling services were made available to GMHS and its feeder schools in December 2002. Once a few referrals were made, SWF began receiving calls from other schools requesting counseling for at-risk students. Due to the additional demand, the spring of 2003 saw SWF services expanded to cover Lakewood, Bear Creek, and Alameda High School students, as well as their feeder schools.
In just a few short years since SWF’s inception, over 2,900 kids have been referred through our Affiliate Programs and none have been lost to suicide. Over 2,900 young people who were at risk for suicide have been helped and in turn that help has impacted the lives of the countless families, friends, classmates, co-workers and community members connected to the lives saved.
In communities where SWF is established and has served over 100 young people, the youth suicide rate has decreased substantially. Further, the vast majority of youth who receive help from Second Wind Fund report a significant reduction in suicidal thinking after completing the program.
How SWF Works
In order to be considered for a referral by the SWF, an individual must be 19 or under, at risk for sucide and be uninsured or under-insured for mental health services (and not on Medicaid). In a community that has a Second Wind Fund Affiliate program, a qualified referral source (i.e., school counselor, teacher, coach, faith leader, youth leader) concerned about a student would engage in the following process:
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A qualified referral source (QRS) deems a student at least moderately “at risk” for suicide and the student’s family does not have financial means (including adequate insurance) to pay for professional therapy. The QRS contacts the SWF Affiliate Program in their community.
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After ensuring that the youth is a suicide risk, lacks financial means to pay for therapy, and is not on Medicaid, the SWF Affiliate assigns the student a referral number. If the student is on Medicaid, he or she is first referred to the county mental health association.
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The QRS initiates a referral with parental permission. After receiving a SWF referral number, the QRS writes the referral number on a program referral form, signs the form, and gives it to the student and/or parents.
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The referred student is given the referral form and a list of private therapists who have agreed to see SWF clients.
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All therapists in the SWF program are private therapists who are licensed, maintain malpractice insurance, have experience with teens at risk for suicide, and have agreed to see SWF clients at a drastically reduced hourly rate.
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SWF will pay for a student to visit a program therapist up to 20 times. (Eight visits are automatically approved at the time of the initial referral. More visits require additional information.)
State officials and private therapists note that, to the best of their knowledge, our program’s structure is unique. We receive requests to duplicate services and expand the program from communities throughout the United States.
Most Recent Fiscal Year Financial Statements
We strive to be transparent. While our 2009-2010 IRS form 990 is too large to upload onto this system, it can be provided upon request. However, you can review our 2009-2010 audit by clicking here.
Second Wind Fund, Inc. Staff and Board of Directors
Jodi Hubble, Development Director and Interim Executive Director
Jodi has more than twelve years of experience in fundraising, marketing and communications for both nonprofit and for profit organizations. Her expertise ranges from foundation and corporate fundraising, major gifts and planned giving to nonprofit strategy and brand development. Prior to joining Second Wind Fund, Inc. she served as the Director of Development for the NC Triangle Affiliate of Komen for the Cure. Other positions include Director of Development and Communications for Be Active North Carolina and Meals on Wheels of Wake County, NC. Her professional experience includes four years as the Director of Communications for Triangle Community Foundation, a $140 million community grantmaker, and four years in a marketing management role with a consulting firm providing Environmental, Health and Safety services and information management systems implementation. Hubble is a Goodmon Fellow and was active in the Triangle NC community, serving on the board of Follow the Child Montessori School and as a co-chair of the Send a Kid to Camp Committee of Triangle Community Foundation. She currently lives in Boulder with her husband and two children.
Board of Directors
Dr. Marjorie Laird, Private Therapist, SWF Co-Founder (President)
Paula Colorosa, Donelson, Ciancio, and Goodwin, P.C. (Vice President)
Patricia Clark, Travelers Insurance (Treasurer)
Franci Crepeau-Hobson, University of Colorado-Denver (Secretary)
Kathy Valentine, President, Second Wind Fund of Boulder County
David Talon, iGrowth Strategies
Jason Bane, The Bane Group
Mary Ann Lundmark, Community Volunteer
Kerry Baker, Community Volunteer
Steve Tonkin, Quantiple, LLC
Denn Dickey, CFO, Arapahoe House
Stanley Garnett, District Attorney for the Twentieth Judicial District
