Ryan Bartel Foundation

Goal: $25,000.00

Specific Need

Young people are still experiencing a mental health crisis and our community is not immune from this epidemic. Post-pandemic loss, increasing conflict, bullying and offensive behavior has intensified anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide, causing concern about the mental health of kids as young as 5 years old.

Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among adolescents nationwide and in the Virginia. -CDC, VDH
Self-harm and suicide-related ER visits in Loudoun County rose 63% from 2019 to 2021. -VDH
62% of Loudoun youth reported experiencing anxiety, 37% experienced depression, and 14% reported having suicidal thoughts in 2022. - ACOY

Despite these alarming statistics there is hope. Research shows there are protective factors that mitigate the risk of adverse youth mental health and suicidal behavior. These include building resiliency skills, feeling supported by peers and trusted adults, establishing belonging through strong social connections.

The Ryan Bartel Foundation incorporates these protective factors into its programs to enable young people to feel better about themselves, their futures and the world in which they live.

Our specific need is to raise $25K to reach more young people throughout our community and provide them with the necessary tools and strategies to get through the rough times in their lives, so they don’t get so overwhelmed or hopeless that they want to give up.

Our Programs

The FORT, a safe, healing community space for teens to connect with their peers, quiet their minds and bodies, and have fun. Teens participate in experiential workshops in expressive arts, mindfulness, animal-assisted groups (dogs, horses), and physical activities that empower them emotionally and socially.

The FORT Hangout, a safe and supportive space where teens connect with their peers to talk about things that matter to them, facilitated by a qualified mental health professional.

FORTitude Teen Workshops, a 6-week mental wellness series that teaches teens coping skills and builds their self-worth.

FORTitude for Parents, a monthly online discussion series with experts that provides parents with resources to improve the relationship with their teen.

Sources of Strength Training is offered annually through our partnership with LCPS to most secondary schools. It is also offered as a community resource to teens and adults upon request, at no charge. Source of Strength is an evidence-based program focused on upstream prevention by building protective factors, encouraging positive, help-seeking behavior, and stronger peer-to-peer and peer-to-adult connections.

Your donations make these programs possible.

$50 enables one teen to attend two of our monthly FORTs
$100 makes one of the FORT's workshops a reality
$300 provides teens with a qualified mental health professional to facilitate a 4-week series of FORT Hangouts
$500 supports a workshop facilitator at our week long FORT summer camp
$800 supports ten teens attending our six week FORTitude mental wellness workshops
$1,000 provides two Sources of Strength trainings for up to 75 teens and adults
$3,600 provides FORT workshops for an entire year

Mission

To build resilient and connected young people to prevent suicide from becoming a solution to life’s inevitable storms.

Profile

Ryan Bartel Foundation programs are entirely focused on upstream suicide prevention for young people by addressing behavioral and mental health challenges before they reach a crisis point. These programs have shown that they empower young people with preventative mental health practices in order to not just ward off suicidal thoughts and risk, but to teach them healthy life skills and habits that can support a life-time of positive mental health.

Thank you for helping us to raise $25,000 so we can continue to provide and expand these programs to all of Loudoun's community of youth in need.