Mission
The mission of the Jordan Porco Foundation (JPF) is to prevent suicide, promote mental health, and create a message of hope for young adults.
The Jordan Porco Foundation was founded in 2011 by Ernie Porco and Marisa Giarnella-Porco, after losing their son, Jordan, to suicide when he was a freshman in college. Desperate for answers, his family began to research the widespread prevalence of suicide and mental health issues in the college and young adult population. They quickly recognized an overwhelming need for education and programming that would serve to empower students and their peers to recognize warning signs, understand resources, and have the courage to seek help for themselves and others.
Programs
Fresh Check Day is an engaging and uplifting mental health promotion event that creates an approachable atmosphere where students are encouraged to engage in dialogue about mental health. It includes interactive expo booths, free food, entertainment, and exciting prizes and giveaways. Using campus-wide collaboration and a peer-to-peer messaging model, Fresh Check Day utilizees student groups in addition to staff and community organizations to develop and implement interactive booths that deliver mental health and resource information in a fun and engaging way.
Check In
Check In takes the best of the Jordan Porco Foundation’s signature program for colleges and universities and makes it available to schools, communities, and workplaces outside of the higher ed sector. Check In is a fresh solution for mental health awareness. It is an uplifting mental health promotion program for all ages that creates an approachable atmosphere that fosters dialogue about mental health. It includes interactive expo booths, community resources, and prize incentives, with a focus on fun!
4 What’s Next is a primary prevention program that builds psychological resiliency in students by giving them the tools to handle stress and distress now and in their future. Students gain important skills related to coping and help-seeking, and learn how to apply these skills to better manage conflict, time, and money, as examples.