As youth mental health continues to demand urgent national attention, Connecticut Children’s Youth Suicide Prevention Center (the Center) is taking a major step forward by assuming management of Fresh Check Day—a nationally recognized, evidence-informed mental health promotion and suicide prevention program founded by the Jordan Porco Foundation.
This strategic partnership marks a new chapter in youth suicide prevention. By bringing Fresh Check Day under the leadership of Connecticut Children’s, the Center is expanding its reach into the heart of college communities nationwide.
What is Fresh Check Day?
Fresh Check Day is an interactive, campus-based event designed to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, encourage help-seeking behaviors, and connect students to critical mental health resources. Unlike traditional resource fairs, Fresh Check Day features peer-led booths, creative outreach, and a vibrant, community-centered atmosphere.
Schools hosting Fresh Check Day events often include:
- DIY crafts and interactive activities
- Mental health trivia and wellness games
- Live music, therapy dogs, and food
- Themes focused on mindfulness, coping, self-care, and suicide prevention
Since its launch in 2012, Fresh Check Day has been hosted on over 370 college and university campuses across 45 states, with more than 1,400 unique events reaching over 250,000 students. Its peer-to-peer format—where students hear directly from their peers—makes it especially impactful, helping reduce isolation and normalize conversations around mental health.
Fresh Check Day is also listed in the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s Best Practices Registry, underscoring its effectiveness and evidence-informed approach. It remains one of the few national programs specifically designed for suicide prevention in college settings.
Why This Partnership Matters
Connecticut Children’s Youth Suicide Prevention Center now leads the national management and growth of Fresh Check Day in close partnership with the Jordan Porco Foundation. This new leadership strengthens both organizations' shared mission to prevent youth suicide through education, early intervention, and widespread community engagement.
By integrating clinical expertise in child and adolescent mental health with the grassroots success of Fresh Check Day, the Center is uniquely positioned to:
- Expand the reach of suicide prevention programming to more campuses and communities
- Develop tailored resources and tools responsive to the needs of today’s youth
- Foster social connectedness, a known protective factor against suicide
- Amplify the peer-to-peer model that makes Fresh Check Day so effective
With this transition, Connecticut Children’s is deepening its national footprint as a leader in youth mental health education, advocacy, and innovation, supporting Fresh Check Day’s growth to connect even more students with critical mental health resources each year.
Beyond a Single Day: A Year-Round Impact
While Fresh Check Day is a once-a-year event on campuses, its impact resonates far beyond a single afternoon. For many schools, it serves as a catalyst for long-term change, inspiring year-round programming, mental health task forces, and stronger campus cultures of care.
At the heart of it all is connection—students connecting with each other, with resources, and with the understanding that their mental health matters. Vulnerability is encouraged. Stories are shared. And perhaps most importantly, students leave knowing they are not alone.
Over the past decade, more than 100,000 post-event surveys have reinforced the program’s impact: students report feeling more informed, less isolated, and more likely to seek help after attending a Fresh Check Day event.
Looking Ahead
Connecticut Children’s Youth Suicide Prevention Center is committed to growing Fresh Check Day’s presence on campuses nationwide. Together with the Jordan Porco Foundation, the Center is ensuring that more students are seen, supported, and connected to help when they need it most.
If you're part of a college or university community, there’s never been a more important time to bring Fresh Check Day to your campus. Because checking in on mental health can change everything.
Learn more:
- Bring Fresh Check Day to your campus
- Learn more about the Youth Suicide Prevention Center