Food Network Star Melissa d'Arabian to Headline April 13 Fundraiser to Raise Awareness & Prevent Suicide Among College-age Populations in Connecticut

Second Annual Jordan Matthew Porco Memorial Foundation Suicide Prevention Fundraiser Welcomes Food Network Star Melissa d'Arabian 
Max's Restaurant Group Brings Culinary Talents to the Basketball Hall of Fame
The Jordan Matthew Porco Memorial Foundation (rememberingjordan.org) will hold it's second annual fundraising gala at the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday, April 13, 2013 featuring Food Network and Cooking Channel Star Melissa d'Arabian as it's keynote speaker. When she was 20 years of age, Ms. d'Arabian lost her mother to suicide. The Jordan Matthew Porco Memorial Foundation was established in 2011 after Jordan Porco, an Andover, CT, native took his own life while in his freshman year of college.  Jordan's Journey Gala will feature all five of Max's Restaurant Groups popular restaurant stations.
"This is an event that is rooted in the desire to create an awareness and action-oriented approach to suicide prevention for  the mental health of our college-aged students," said Ernest Porco, Foundation board Chairman and Jordan's father. "The people that make this event desirable to attend, such as Melissa and Max's, help us to reach a broader audience and raise a global awareness to our Foundation's mission."
Ms. d'Arabian's personal experience with the suicide of her mother provides a relevant basis for her keynote address which, according to d'Arabian, will "honor those we have lost, and to stand together to raise the volume on a national conversation that is currently conducted in whispers. One that says loud and clear: Suicide is preventable, so let's do that. Let's prevent suicide." Ms. d'Arabian is known for herNew York Times bestselling book: "Ten Dollar Dinners; 140 Recipes and Tips to Elevate Simple, Fresh Meals Any Night of the Week," as well as hosting the Cooking Channel's "Drop 5lbs with Good Housekeeping," as well as other television appearances.
In addition to the full experience that the Basketball Hall of Fame venue provides, Max's Restaurant Group's popular restaurants will host five food stations for guests including famous culinary delights from Max A Mia, Max Fish, Trumbull Kitchen, Max's Downtown and Max Burger.
The first Jordan's Journey was held in the spring of 2012 at the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford, CT. and was attended by nearly 1000 people interested in changing the conversation about mental health and preventing suicide in our student-aged population. Studies indicate that 1 out of every 10 students contemplate suicide and that suicide is listed as the leading cause of death for youth between the ages of 14 and 24 by the Center for Disease Control & Prevention.
"The statistics are staggering," added Fred Sailer, Executive Director of the Jordan Matthew Porco Memorial Foundation, headquartered in Hartford, CT. "People are typically shocked when presented with this information, and rightfully so, as there is little awareness of these facts. That is an enormous part of our mission — to create awareness and to provide tools to help all of us help each other."
The Mission of the Jordan Matthew Porco Memorial Foundation is to prevent suicide in the college and college entry student population that is often the end result of significant emotional disorders triggered by stress and/or not recognized within the person until it is too late. The foundation's goal is to help prevent suicide among the college-aged student population by increasing awareness, identifying resources available to students, helping friends and family recognize the warning signs of depression, encouraging at-risk persons to seek out help, and providing financial support to those organizations and programs dedicated to suicide prevention.
Jordan's Journey Gala Tickets can be purchased online at rememberingjordan.org or by calling the Foundation offices at 860-904-6041. Tickets are $150 per person, with a discounted student price or $75 per student.