By Carlos Zuluaga 24’ (Journalism)

RAMSEY, N.J. — The DBP community was given the opportunity to learn about mental health awareness with two representatives from the JCK Foundation. The meetings took place in the school’s auditorium on September 28 for the student body, and meetings with the parents took place via Zoom.
The JCK Foundation was founded by John Tessitore after his friend, John Cleaver Kelly, killed himself after a long battle with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Tessitore said that Kelly was “the one who would listen to you until you felt safe, the one always looking out for the underdog, the one empowering the socially isolated.” The JCK Foundation strives to make people feel that it’s important to reach out to someone about your problems and to make sure to not judge anyone on the problems they are struggling with.
The JCK Foundation has implemented a program called the Legends program where they send representatives to a school to talk about mental health issues with students. The goal of the legends program is to encourage students to seek help and make sure they have someone to talk to about their mental health issues.
Tessitore and Kevin McMahon were the two representatives who spoke to the DBP student body. The presentation began with the two introducing themselves and asking questions to the students. They then spoke about John Cleaver Kelly as a great friend. A documentary made by Tessitore in memory of Kelly was then shown to the students.
After the documentary, Tessitore and McMahon both told their own experiences with mental health and its struggles. Finally, the students were asked to answer questions on posters left around the auditorium in order to promote being kind to others and encourage others that everything is ok.
