Our 1st Annual Walk for Mental Wellness around beautiful Lake Merritt was a huge success and a ton of fun!
We are so grateful for our generous sponsors and everyone who came out to support our mission to provide free mental health counseling to teens and young adults!
​
With thanks to our generous sponsors!
Althea Miller
Ted and Lisa Angus
About us
With your help, we’re providing caring support and saving lives
The Sam Taylor Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that provides mental wellness and suicide prevention education for young people, and free mental health counseling for teens and young adults. We believe that cost, lack of insurance or lack of access should never be a barrier to young people receiving mental health education and healthcare. Our goal is to give teens and young adults the skills and support they need to lead productive lives and, more importantly, to be happy.
Heading 6
The Sam Taylor Foundation empowers teens and young adults by promoting social support, mental health awareness and help-seeking behaviors through thoughtful counseling, mental wellness education, programs and partnerships. We strengthen teens and young adults by working directly with high schools to put systems, programs and policies in place to create a culture of caring. We mobilize communities by providing education, training and tools to teens/families, friends, extra-curricular groups and others.
Our story
On December 22, 2017, we lost Sammy, our youngest son, to suicide. Through our grieving, we vowed to turn pain into purpose, purpose into progress and and progress into prevention. We learned that suicide was and continues to be a leading cause of death among young adults. We learned that most schools had no model to educate students about mental health struggles and suicide prevention. We experienced the reality that young people and their families struggle to overcome the shameful stigma that prevents an honest discussion of mental health. In 2021, we launched The Sam Taylor Foundation to work with teens and young adults through education and free mental health therapy. Our goal is to help teens struggling with their mental health to lead happy and productive lives.
Our vision
We envision a future where:
-
Every high school has a known program or service that supports student emotional health and reduces the risks of substance misuse, self harm and suicide.
​​
-
All teens and young adults are equipped to navigate mental health challenges and to seek and give help and are emotionally prepared to enter adulthood and fulfill their potential.
​​
-
We speak openly about mental health challenges and options for support.
​​
-
Free mental health care is a part of general health and wellness and not associated with shame, secrecy or prejudice.
​​
-
Parents, mentors , friends and siblings of struggling teens are provided with support and guidance.