PRINCETON, NJ, August 28, 2024 –
Champion of Hope Rachelle St. Phard Is a Role Model for Being the Light in Others’ Lives
Soon after Rachelle St. Phard (pictured left) lost her son Coby to suicide in March 2016, she undertook many initiatives to help herself and her family, as well as many others experiencing the same kind of tragedy. “From the moment I lost Coby, I felt his loss would not be in vain. I was determined to use what God has given me to help other people,” Rachelle said.
Rachelle founded Fly High Coby, now called The BeTheLi9ht Foundation, to support organizations with a mission to strengthen youths’ mental health. She followed the recommendation of about 10 people to connect with AIR Co-Founder Tricia Baker and “became a big supporter of AIR through the foundation and personally,” she said.
Rachelle shared that her daughter Kyler “had suffered greatly with mental health issues” and talked about a mental health education program with dogs that she attended at school one day during her freshman year in high school. “I found out later it was AIR that Kyler was talking about. I began supporting AIR because it brought hope to Kyler,” Rachelle said. “Because of AIR and Tricia’s leadership, many doors that had been closed because of stigma were opened. I want to walk in Tricia’s footsteps, share the message and be hope for people.”
Clearly, Rachelle has succeeded in making a tremendous difference in people’s lives and continues to do so. Rachelle has been an active participant in the Miki & Friends Walk for several years, including singing at these events and participating in the AIR Legacy Butterfly Release. She also donated Coby’s soccer shoes to the Legacy In Their Shoes® exhibit, which travels throughout New Jersey, inspiring youth to ask for help. In addition, Rachelle’s daughter Kyler has performed at many of the walk events, and she will be performing one song at Taste of Hope on Oct. 9, 2024, the event when Rachelle will be honored.
Part of Rachelle’s positive impact on youth is offering college scholarships through The BeTheLi9ht Foundation. “Students write essays about how they’re the light for other people because Coby was just that. He was everyone’s friend, and he invited people to his lunch table,” Rachelle shared.
As a further tribute to Coby and to help more youth, Rachelle opened the BeTheLi9ht Center in 2021 when the world was in the throes of the pandemic. It was open for two years after school every day to provide a “safe place for students to come and just be. They did homework, played games and had a trusted adult to talk to,” she shared.
A girl who was a regular at the BeTheLi9ht Center wrote to Rachelle, saying, “Thank you for making a place so I didn’t have to feel alone,” she recalled. “Helping people feel they’re not alone is most important,” Rachelle stressed.
Rachelle hosts a minimum of four events during every school year. “Our goal is to incorporate mental health education into fun community activities,” she said.
One of these events is the Be the Music Festival, featuring performers between 12 and 25 years of age; games and other activities; and mental health related vendors. The fourth annual festival will take place on October 19, 2024.
Rachelle certainly has earned the title of Champion of Hope. “It’s an honor to be recognized by an organization that I think so highly of and has done so much,” Rachelle said.
“The real honor is making a difference in people’s lives, especially for people who feel they don’t matter,” she added.
Personal Connection to AIR’s Mission Makes Bill Wells a Champion of Hope
As Vice President, Commercial Relationship Manager at TD Bank, where AIR is a customer, and a member of the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors, Bill Wells (pictured right) had been familiar with AIR for several years. He shared that learning more about AIR at last year’s Taste of Hope event reinforced his interest in supporting the mission.
“Hearing about AIR’s mission and profound impact on the community was an eye opener and piqued my interest even more,” Bill said. The event reinforced his personal connection to the cause. He shared that he has family members who have had mental health struggles for years and are fortunately doing much better now.
The event also sparked a memory from when Bill was in high school. “I was involved with a program working with children with mental disabilities who played sports. In a roundabout way, it made me aware of the mental health components. Being different in school created mental challenges for them and playing sports gave them a break from being different. It helped them feel they fit in and that had a positive mental health impact,” Bill shared.
Bill recognizes the difficulties many youth experience today, in part due to social media. “There’s additional pressure on kids today – even more than when I was in school, which wasn’t so long ago. I’m eager to help people work through the challenges,” he said.
“It’s so critical to let people know resources are out there, especially for young people. There is much more work to be done, and AIR provides a great solution,” Bill stated.” I’m thrilled to have been chosen to help represent the cause, to help bring the mission to the public and continue to push it forward.”
AIR is most appreciative of the Taste of Hope event sponsors Szaferman Lakind Attorneys at Law; Stark & Stark Attorneys at Law; TD Bank; Philadelphia Insurance Companies; Leary, Bride, Mergner & Bongiovanni P.A. Attorneys at Law; Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America; Princeton Brain & Spine; Oaks Integrated Care; Renzi Legal Resources; and Hinkle, Prior & Fischer Attorneys at Law; and J. Robert Bratman.
AIR is equally grateful for the participating restaurants and dessert, wine and spirit vendors are Antimo’s Italian Restaurant, Bonefish Grill, Carella’s Chocolates, CATB Liquor Imports, Crown of India, De Lorenzo’s Tomato Pies, Iron & Ivy at Princeton Marriott, Joe Canal’s Discount Liquor, KK Sweets, Local Greek, Outback Steakhouse, PF Chang’s, Pink Little Cakes, Public Wine, Beer & Spirits, Texas Roadhouse, Quality Wine & Spirits, Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, Seasons 52, Sourland Mountain Spirits and Starbucks.
