In March 2010, Jack Windeler, a first-year student at Queen's University, committed suicide. Like many young people, 18-year-old Jack wouldn't have thought twice about letting people know he was physically sick, needed help because he had broken a limb, or had changed plans because of a dentist appointment.

However, the stigma attached to mental illness prevented Jack from telling anyone that he was suffering what was most likely severe, debilitating depression. Even though Jack was unable to ask for help for himself, he did ask, in a note he left, that others be helped.

The Jack Windeler Memorial Fund

Since his death, Jack's family and friends have established the Jack Windeler Memorial Fund at Kids Help Phone. The fund focuses on life-saving and life-changing supports for youth aged 16 to 20. The Jack Project will

• produce a youth microsite featuring information and resources about depression, anxiety, self-injury, suicide prevention and how to help a friend;
• pilot Live Chat counselling – immediate online professional help and support from a counsellor;
• create a smartphone app as yet another portal to information, to include warning signs and other content on suicide, depression and how to help a friend;
• ensure awareness of these new resources.

Kids Help Phone

We know that young adults like Jack have questions about mental health. Over 30 percent of those who reach out to Kids Help Phone are over 17, and mental health remains the number one reason both kids and youth contact us. Our counsellors take calls and answer messages from young people who feel hopeless, anxious and suicidal. Some have lost someone close to them or are struggling with addiction, eating disorders, and self-harm; others are coping with the stress related to moving away from home and with anxiety about their future.

One in four students will experience a mental health problem. A fraction of them will seek help. Targeting this age group by making relevant information available in an anonymous and confidential way can have a life-saving impact on a young person. This is Jack's legacy.

Through an ongoing partnership with the Ministry of Education, Kids Help Phone provides telephone and web-based counselling services and support for over 50,000 children and youth across Ontario, concerning bullying prevention, Internet safety and gang-related issues.