Hope Walks Here: A Saturday at SUNY ADK and a Friday at City Park
Rising early on Saturday two weeks ago, I brewed some remaining grounds from my batch of Stinky’s coffee in a French Press given by my mother-in-law. The morning sun protruded through the curtains as my senses were awakened, with my mind buzzing about the day. After finishing my coffee, slurping down some Honey Nut Cheerios, and smiling at the cereal box’s message of positivity, I drove to SUNY Adirondack for the Capital Region American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s Out of the Darkness event. A week ago, I began fundraising for the event, eventually garnering over one hundred dollars to secure a shirt to commemorate the achievement.
As I drove along South Street to Bay Street, I passed by the busy Glens Falls Farmer’s Market and the Downtown Collaborative’s Wing Fest. Over the past ten years, the downtown corridor of Glens Falls has seen incredible growth and development. As an elected member of the Common Council, I am excited to help continue its aspirations into other areas of the city. Driving over Quaker Road, I glimpsed to the left at Glenwood Ave where the Adirondack Runners hold their yearly street cleanup in April. As the month drew to an end, there are certainly lots of activities in Glens Falls this weekend.
Up ahead, I spotted the SUNY Adirondack sign as I turned into their entrance and drove around their campus before parking near the Scoville Learning Center building. I walked through the winding campus, passing blooming gardens and stone structures along the way toward the Adirondack Center. I thought about entering this building in January of 2025 for the graduation ceremony of students at the college’s Startup ADK program where I met Chuck Copenspire. He has become a beacon in this city, cultivating a myriad of business ventures and inspiring countless people to rise up to support the LGBTQIA+ community.
Walking through the entrance, I headed to a table with a dozen honor bead necklaces, each with a different color. On the table was a helpful guide to identify the significance of each color, each representing how someone is connected to suicide. Whether the loss of a child, parent, spouse, sibling, relative, first responder, or military veteran, the table showed the breath of sorrow that suicide can afflict on those whom remain. The color green represents a personal struggle or suicide attempt, so I solemnly picked up the honor bead necklace and moved to the other table. Stating my name and signing a walking waiver, I was provided a shirt emblazoned with the words, “Hope Walks Here”. Thanking the volunteers, I headed down the hall to witness an amazing sight.
Later learning that there were over two hundred people at the event, the room was filled to near capacity with venders, volunteers, honorary dignitaries, and residents. The organizer, Patty Jo, immediately recognized me, talking to me about joining the sand ceremony later. I helped her figure out an introduction when I would pour green sand into a glass container on stage. Following our conversation, I chatted with Cam Cardinale who is on the Capital Region American Foundation of Suicide Prevention Board as well as the President of Lower Adirondack Pride, an organization that cultivates connection and visibility for the LGBTQIA+ community in the area.
Walking past the tables toward the east end of the hall, I recognized some familiar faces like Jay and Morgan at the Lower Adirondack Pride table, Michele and Andrea of Ascend Mental Wellness, and Justine and Mackenzie of the Hope and Healing Recovery Center. I even met someone representing the local YMCA chapter, where they chatted about the exciting improvements coming to the Glens Falls YMCA over the next two years. I briefly chatted with Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner, later learning that I would share the stage with her during the ceremony. She is a supremely busy woman, representing over one hundred thousand constituents in the 113th district, but I let her know about a Community Bike Safety event that will take over City Park on May 16th that might be of interest.
After opening remarks from the organizers, a short film was shown that brought everyone to tears. It portrayed people, of all ages, reading a personal letter to a loved one that had passed away to suicide. The film exemplified the notion that a person’s pain does not disappear when they commit suicide; it gets distributed to everyone around them. Once the short film ended, the silence was palpable in the auditorium.
Patty Jo solemnly announced for the sand ceremony volunteers to head toward the stage and grab their chosen color. I picked up the jar with green sand, while Ginger of Ascend Mental Wellness grabbed the blue sand. While chatting with Ginger, I thought about first learning about her while in the hospital for a mental health crisis. She creates the monthly newsletters for Ascend known as Roads to Recovery, distributing them to hospitals and libraries in the area. I remembered reading a brilliant article about David Oaks, who transformed the mental institutions over the past forty years. David co-founded Mind Freedom International, which includes psychiatric survivors and psychiatrists alike, to improve the mental health system after he was forcibly institutionalized for schizophrenia and manic depression in the 1970’s.
Back to the sand ceremony, each colored sand represents how someone is connected to suicide, whether the loss of a child, parent, spouse, sibling, relative, first responder, military veteran, or personal struggle. When I was called onto the stage, Patty Jo mentioned my personal struggle with suicide ideation and noted that I finally found my voice. While everyone has a different journey, my own revolved around finding my voice amid the chaotic inner chatter of obsessive-compulsive disorder, depression, and anxiety. Standing on the stage and pouring the sand into the large jar, I felt inner peace that I had cultivated over the past two years.
With each person pouring their colored sand, the jar slowly transformed into a multi-colored vase that truly exemplified the plethora of experiences coming together. It was a lovely ceremony to begin the walk around the SUNY campus, especially on a cool, brisk morning. I met some lovely folks along the two-mile walk, like Tobey Gifford. She is the SUNY Adirondack Health and Wellness Director, but she has been a local gymnastics coach, physical education teacher, yoga instructor, and a Glens Falls Recreation Director. Thanks to Tobey, I learned that the Morgan and Company building used to have office spaces, with the last tenant being Warren County Public Health in 2009 before transforming into a restaurant in 2014.
Along the walk, I gathered debris littering the side of the road, acknowledging that small actions can transform the world. Tobey helped hold some trash until we entered the campus and found a trash can. The campus is large, spanning 144 acres which includes classrooms, laboratories, dorm rooms, auditoriums, and even a small farm for their culinary arts program. SUNY Adirondack’s culinary arts program was involved in one of the first projects from Glens Fall’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative with the creation of the Seasoned Restaurant. Small actions, like picking up trash, help keep the beautiful campus a beacon of learning in the Adirondacks.
When we arrived back, I purchased some raffle tickets and placed some in the baskets. A bunch of organizations, like Common Roots, Wait House, Ascend, as well as individuals, created baskets to for the event. Walking over to the other side of the room, I briefly chatted with Deena, representing New York State’s Office of Mental Health. She had a plethora of helpful guides for different mental illnesses as well as fun stickers and magnets. I told her about an incredible documentary by Ken Burns entitled, “Hiding in Plain Sight”, created in 2022 by PBS. It features “more than twenty young Americans from all over the country who have struggled with thoughts and feelings that have troubled—and, at times—overwhelmed them,” illustrating the various mental illnesses and the treatments available.
Once everyone returned from the walk, the raffle tickets were selected for each basket, and each winner collected their prize. Andrea from Ascend Mental Wellness appeared to win more than one, along with Cam from Lower Adirondack Pride and Mackenzie from Hope and Healing. My friend, Jay, also won a basket with a gift certificate to a local home organizing company. I walked over to the table Morgan and him for manning to congratulate them, mentally noting that I could use the service for my own home. Once the baskets were given away, all the organizations began to deconstruct their tables to head home. I headed over to the table where there was Stewart’s ice cream, snagging a bowl before it was put away. I listened to heart wrenching stories from folks who lost their children to suicide. While the heartache continues decades afterward, their spirit remains positive and hopeful for the future.
Saying goodbye, I walked back through the hallway, turning left toward the auditorium where the Addam’s Family Musical is being performed soon. I knew one of the performers, Gary, from a mutual friend, Jade Eddy, and thanks to the showbill, learned their preferred pronouns. While the debate over preferred pronouns causes some discomfort, it is an easy gesture of respect to allow someone to feel comfortable in their own skin. Once I snagged my tickets, I procured a soda from the concessions stand and walked toward the stage, remembering a drag performance that Michael and I attended seven years ago. The drag show, hosted by the SUNY Adirondack Pride Club in 2019, featured Aja Miyake-Mugler, who appeared on the ninth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race. It was also the first drag show that we attended together, immersing us into this world that spans over one hundred years according to research from the Advocate.
The stage was decorated with a painted noose attached to a tree in the corner with two gargoyle statues on each end, cultivating a macabre atmosphere. I reminisced about the dichotomy of observing a noose after a suicide prevention event. As the lights dimmed, the familiar tune of the Addam’s Family theme song played, with whole audience began snapping their fingers in sync. Over the course of two and a half hours, the cast beautifully performed on stage, imbuing the timeless characters from the Addam’s Family. I learned that it was created by in the 1930’s by New Yorker cartoonist, Charles Addams, and eventually bloomed into movies, television shows, books, and a musical. Incidentally, this musical debuted on Broadway in 2010, garnering thousands of performances across North America and the world, before opening up the rights to smaller community productions.
As I watched the show, I thought out the absurdity of each situation, the timeless message of embracing each other’s differences, and the importance of forgiveness. The Addam’s Family reinforces that life can always surprise, delight, and terrify us, and we should always embrace each moment with curiosity. Once the lights illuminated the auditorium and the audience cheered for the performers, I headed through the campus back to my car. I admired the myriads of green spaces, classrooms, and gardens abound, noting that SUNY Adirondack, with a 65-year history in the area, was a special place. On light poles, the SUNY Pride Club strung up the iconic rainbow flag with a simple message: we all belong here.
Once I arrived home, Michael and I cooked dinner together before venturing into our backyard before sunset. Sitting by our firepit near the Feeder Canal, I finally feel at peace with my life.
The feeling continued today when I joined Ascend Mental Wellness to unveil their 24th annual Tree of Hope, standing with Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner and many others on a breezy morning to decorate a local tree with messages of support. Michele Morehouse, Ascend’s Communications Coordinator, took brilliant and unexpectedly candid photos, with Carrie Woerner offering a powerful speech reaffirming a message to check-in with our friends and family. Each message written on a green ribbon attached to a string around the tree offers a lifeline to those that are struggling to survive. Our world can be chaotic, but hope will always persevere. All it takes is listening with an open mind, knowing that we are never alone.
