The Second Wind Fund

The Beginning of Second Wind Fund

The belief that the tragedy of a young person choosing to take their own life can be prevented was the prime motivator for the founders of the Second Wind Fund back in 2002. That school year, four students at a Jefferson County School in Colorado died by suicide in a nine-month time frame. The community - profoundly affected - grieved.

In response to these four suicides, three members of a local faith community, Jeff Lamontagne, Dr. Marjorie Laird, and Scott Fletcher organized a small community "Walk/Run" event to show solidarity with the school. The event, attended by 66 people, also raised a modest amount of money, and it was decided to use that money to provide direct support to other young people who were struggling at the school. The Second Wind Program was then created to continue providing access to professional counseling services to youth deemed at risk of suicide.

Other schools in the county heard about the program, and word began to spread to additional communities in Colorado. Seventeen years since its inception, the Second Wind Fund is serving 30 counties across Colorado and has provided life-saving services to over 5,600 youth.

Our Mission

The mission of Second Wind Fund is to decrease the incidence of suicide in children and youth by removing the financial and social barriers to treatment.

Second Wind Fund’s underlying goal is to ensure that all youth at risk of suicide have access to life-saving therapy. The impact we are seeking is to save the lives of those youth who for one reason or another fall through the cracks of other treatment systems. Our evaluation informs us that the primary reason that youth don’t receive treatment elsewhere is because financial barriers exist. SWF is uniquely placed to serve this population, paying for therapy with professional therapists with funds raised from the community. 

SWF has its own state-wide network of over 275 treatment providers – each licensed, available for a first treatment appointment within one week, and highly experienced with this population. SWF works closely with the schools that it serves. School mental health staff and counselors are the main source of referrals to SWF. 

Second Wind Fund has a simple formula for levels of financial support. We are capable of saving a young life for every $1,000 received: 

12 therapy sessions x $70 a session = $840 

3 Suicide Ideation Questionnaires = $30

Therapist Travel Reimbursement = $120 

Minimal Administrative Costs = $10

Total = $1,000