Connecting With Our Community…
A huge thank you to our volunteers Theresa and Veronica; Autumn and
Dylan from Redline Graphics; the talented Big Shrimp band, and to everyone who came out to Roadrunner Kitchen + Bar in Black Rock to support this fun event benefiting MFA!
MFA Club At Trumbull High School!
Thank you to our MFA young adults, volunteers and new MFA Club members from Trumbull High School who helped out at TPAUD Trumbull’s Prevention Partnership’s Freshman Forum!
MFA Community Project
Heroes Behind the Mask: Encouraging Student Resilience!
Our most recent My Friend Abby Community Project was designed to empower young people by combining creative activities with meaningful discussions about mental health. We discussed how helping others can increase motivation and create a sense of accomplishment through the release of "feel-good" hormones in the brain. This project harnessed that energy, giving students the opportunity to connect, contribute, and build resilience.
Our event included two hands-on activities. First, students decorated coasters with positive affirmations, creating pieces that serve as reminders of encouragement and support while building a bridge between students and our broader community. The second activity involved decorating masks for Halloween with the theme, “Behind every mask, there’s a hero waiting to shine!” Through this theme, we encouraged students to see themselves as capable of self-care and inner strength.
Our guest speaker, Johnny Crowder, CEO and Founder of Cope Notes, shared his powerful journey, openly discussing the challenges he faced as a student and the resilience he has built along the way. By emphasizing the value of peer support and safe spaces to talk about mental health, Johnny encouraged students to reach out for help and lean on one another.
His message reinforced the goals of this project—to foster a community that supports mental health and builds connections that make a lasting difference.
Share Your Light 2024
We are so thankful for all of your support!
Our fundraiser on October 25th at Two Roads Brewery was an unforgettable evening thanks to our incredible volunteers, sponsors, silent auction donors, guest speakers, and guests for helping make this year’s Share Your Light event a success in supporting youth and young adult suicide prevention.
The event was truly memorable, filled with inspiring stories and meaningful connections that will have lasting ripple effects.
Our guest speakers shared their personal stories and insights, each shedding light on the importance of vulnerability, resilience, and community support in navigating mental health. Their powerful messages underscored how essential it is to create spaces for open dialogue about mental well-being.
We are also immensely grateful to The Original Vazzy's and Claire's Corner Copia for the delicious, donated food, and to Two Roads Brewery for generously opening their space to host this special event!
Thank you to our incredible sponsors for being an integral part of our mission. Your partnership strengthens our efforts to bring hope and support to those who need it most. Together, we’re building a brighter, more resilient community. We couldn’t do this without you!
Shining Together For Suicide Prevention
On September 10, 2024, we hosted a powerful event in honor of World Suicide Prevention Day.
The triennial theme for World Suicide Prevention Day for 2024-2026 is "Changing the Narrative on Suicide" with the call to action "Start the Conversation". This theme aims to raise awareness about the importance of reducing stigma and encouraging open conversations to prevent suicides. Changing the narrative on suicide is about transforming how we perceive this complex issue and shifting from a culture of silence and stigma to one of openness, understanding, and support.
Attendees came together to create hope through action, hearing from inspiring guest speakers and participating in our first-ever walk, symbolizing unity in the fight against suicide. A special addition this year was the opportunity to write messages or names on luminaries, which served as heartfelt tributes to those affected by suicide and as beacons of hope for prevention.
The evening concluded with talks from those who have experienced loss and mental health struggles, along with a moment of silence, and a candle lighting.
This event and the stories that have been and will continue to be shared reinforce our commitment to raising awareness, particularly in light of the alarming increase in youth and young adult suicides.
Thank you to our community partners!
Click the image below to check out our event in the CTPost!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for Pastor Plunge 2024! The pastors, Rev. Tim Hare of Trumbull Congregational Church and Rev. Todd Shipley of Unity Hill United Church of Christ, braved the chilly waters of Pinewood Lake in support of the mental health and suicide prevention mission of My Friend Abby, Inc.
Reverends Tim and Todd were joined by several other resilient individuals, including members
of the Trumbull High School wrestling team, all of whom survived the icy plunge to enjoy a
Shamrock Shake afterward!
My Friend Abby appreciates the support of the Reverends, and all of the participants and contributors to Pastor Plunge 2024. We hope to see you again next year!
We are very grateful to all of you!
My Friend Abby sends out so much love and gratitude and special thanks to all of our volunteers, sponsors, silent auction donors, guest speakers and guests for sharing your light to support youth and young adult suicide prevention.
Our fundraiser on Friday at Two Roads Brewery was a heartwarming evening featuring Olympic Gold Medalist Samantha Livingstone, Lorena Sferlazza, and Linda Kwong, sharing their own experiences about mental health and how important it is to talk about the way we feel. Special thanks also to The Original Vazzy's and Claire's Corner Copia for the delicious, donated food, and Black Rock Fire and Jes Nieves for rocking it! There are so many more people to thank and so many more photos to share -- we, again, thank you all from the bottom of our heart!
We want to inspire a mental health revolution one friend at a time, and it's gatherings like these where you can feel the love, caring, resiliency and hope for our youth and young adults!
