Team Max Raises $20,465 for Suicide Prevention
ITHACA, N.Y. — Max Addy, an Ithaca College graduate and former member of the baseball team, was battling mental issues while dealing with the pressures of being a student-athlete.
He was able to battle his demons and graduate in May of 2014 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration (concentration in management), but not long after graduation, Addy died unexpectedly on Nov. 28 in his home in nearby Newfield, N.Y.
Addy, just 22 years old, had died by suicide, one of approximately 42,000 Americans who commit suicide every year in this country, according to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (A.F.S.P.).
Of those who commit suicide, the A.F.S.P. says that roughly 11 percent are young adults ages 15 to 24.
In an effort to increase awareness on the warning signs of suicide, as well as to honor Addy's memory, his parents, Thomas and Melissa, organized a walk in Addy's honor on Sept. 19.
Teaming up with the Out of the Darkness Walk, Team Max (consisting of Addy's family members, friends, members of the Bomber baseball team and the neighboring communities) assembled at Cass Park in Ithaca to honor the memory of a young man who lost his life to suicide.
The group started out with a fundraising goal of $7,500, but far exceeded their target, raising $20,465 during the afternoon walk.
"It was a great event. We had a tremendous response from the college community and had support from our student-athletes to the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), plus many other students from across campus," said Barb Belyea, Ithaca's Faculty Athletics Representative who also serves as clinical professor and associate chair of Ithaca's department of physical therapy.
"It was amazing seeing the outpouring of support both from college community and the local community in participating in the walk. The caring, giving nature of this community was more than we could have imagined."
The group's commitment featured 350 participants, and together they surpassed their fundraising goal by 273 percent.
The members of Team Max wore customized t-shirts with a "Save Yourself with Six" logo on the front and Team Max on the back. A number six, representing Addy's baseball jersey number, was on the back of the shirts underneath Team Max.
The group's slogan, "Save Yourself with Six," contained six things that an individual can do to help themselves if they find themselves in a depressed state.
All told, the area Out of the Darkness Walk, which Team Max participated in, raised more than $31,000 to support local organizations that work to prevent suicides.
"The goal was to elevate awareness for all: coaches, teammates, students, and family members," said
George Valesente, Ithaca's longtime baseball coach who coached Addy during his time at Ithaca.
"When you have a friend going through some difficult times, for whatever reason if they are going through it themselves and you try to reach out to help them but they don't seem like they want help, instead of just walking away and thinking they will get over it, we need to let them know there is support out there. This walk is to bring this situation to the forefront so people understand that these issues exist, and they exist close to home."
For Belyea, the walk hit close to home. Her son, Cooper, was friends with Max dating back to early childhood, with the two participating in youth hockey and baseball leagues together growing up.
"Max's death hit us really hard when it happened," Belyea said. "Max knew a lot of students on campus and a lot of people were affected here at Ithaca College by his passing. The entire Team Max event was very successful and was a testament to Max's memory. We hope to continue this momentum and keep the conversation going about the importance of suicide prevention and raising awareness about suicide prevention."
For more information on the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, visit
http://afsp.donordrive.com/.