Archive: Around Town

Josephine Gibson, executive director of the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County; Matthew Jirsa, former president of Cornell Minds Matter; and Winnie Ho, former president of Alpha Phi Omega Gamma Chapter

The Sophie Fund this week handed over a $1,367.50 check from its 2018 "Cupcake Button Fundraising Campaign" to the Mental Health Association in Tompkins County. Cornell University students collected the monies in conjunction with the 3rd Annual Ithaca Cupcake Baking Contest organized by The Sophie Fund.

"We are so grateful to the Sophie Fund for their generous support of our mission," said Mental Health Association Executive Director Josephine Gibson. "We are invigorated to see the interest from Cornell students and our community in mental health education. Education is essential to combat the stigma surrounding mental health that creates a barrier to treatment and prevents people from seeking help before they reach a crisis."

Scott MacLeod, a co-founder of The Sophie Fund, credited student organizations from Cornell University for the success of the 2018 campaign. "We are grateful for the chance to collaborate with Cornell students to raise awareness about mental health and also to raise funds for mental health programs," MacLeod said. "Cornell student organizations poured their heart and soul into this cause. The Sophie Fund sincerely thanks them for their efforts. The Sophie Fund is proud to contribute the funds raised in our 2018 campaign to the Mental Health Association, which plays such a vital role in mental health training and education in our community."

Student groups participating in the cupcake button campaign were Alpha Phi Omega Gamma Chapter, Phi Sigma Pi honor fraternity, Cornell Minds Matter, PATCH (Pre-Professional Association Towards Careers in Health), and the Mortar Board Der Hexenkreis senior honor society.

"Every penny of our fundraising total this year was due to the hard work of volunteers who engaged students and community members at Ho Plaza, the Arts Quad, and at the Collegetown GreenStar Natural Foods location," said Winnie Ho, outgoing president of Alpha Phi Omega. "Beyond the impressive totals, the conversations that were fostered continue to be the most valuable experience of each year's fundraising."

The Sophie Fund organizes the annual fundraising campaign to support a local mental health nonprofit organization. The Suicide Prevention and Crisis Service was the recipient of monies in the 2017 campaign. Donors receive colorful buttons bearing the image of a cupcake. A highlight of the 2018 campaign: 'Cupcake a Cornellian', in which students made donations in exchange for the opportunity to mash a gooey cupcake (or just a heaping plate of whipped cream) into the face of a student leader.

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