‘He Made Everybody Laugh’: Fire Island Fundraiser Honors Blue Point Teen, Supports Suicide Prevention

FIRE ISLAND, NY — To those who knew him, Blue Point teenager Christopher A. Coluccio was far more than the circumstances surrounding his death at age 14.

He was one of the top students in his class, an accomplished wrestler and a black belt in karate. His father remembers a boy who could make anyone laugh.

“He was one of the funniest people you ever met in your entire life,” Christopher Coluccio Sr. told Patch. “He was an absolute character and always made everybody laugh.”

On Saturday, the foundation created in Christopher’s memory will bring supporters together at one of his family’s favorite summer destinations for an afternoon devoted to celebrating life and raising money to help people facing mental health challenges.

The Christopher A. Coluccio Foundation will hold its fifth annual Social Mixer for Suicide Prevention from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Casino Cafe in Davis Park on Fire Island.

The mixer is open to adults ages 21 and older. Advance tickets cost $70, while tickets purchased at the door cost $75. Admission includes food, a first drink and a door-prize raffle ticket. The event will also feature live music, raffle baskets and a 50/50 drawing.

A free Youth Beach Bash for children ages 8 and older will be held on the beach below the cafe, with food, refreshments, games and activities.

Remembering Christopher

Christopher died by suicide on Sept. 21, 2021.

His father said the family did not fully understand the extent of the emotional challenges Christopher was experiencing. From the outside, he appeared to be thriving academically, athletically and socially.

“He was a pretty exceptional child, as far as we were concerned,” Coluccio said. “On the outside, he had everything going for him, and I guess there were some other struggles that we just weren’t aware of.”

There were signs of depression, anxiety and self-harm, Coluccio said, but the situation escalated rapidly.

Christopher’s death stunned his family and the greater Blue Point community. In the days that followed, residents surrounded the family with support.

“They showed up on my lawn, and they took care of my property, and they cleaned my house, and they took my kids out,” he said.

Nearly $50,000 was also donated to the family. The outpouring led Coluccio to consider how his family could direct its grief toward helping other people, including those who might not have the same network of support.

“It really led me to try to take this grief that we have and turn it into something that we could put out to the public and talk about,” he said.

The certified 501(c)(3) foundation was formed to celebrate and memorialize Christopher’s spirit, educate the community, support people struggling with depression and other mental health challenges, and promote open communication between parents and children.

“It’s not something that needs to exist in darkness,” Coluccio said. “We can talk about it, and we can educate people how to have those conversations that a lot of us avoid or don’t even understand need to be had.”

Coluccio said the Blue Point area experienced a series of suicides within a relatively short period, forcing families and local school districts to reconsider how they responded.

The traditional approach, Coluccio said, often involved assembling students after a tragedy, notifying them that counseling was available and then allowing the public discussion to fade.

After multiple deaths and advocacy by Coluccio and other community members, some districts began working more closely with outside organizations and addressing mental wellness more regularly.

Efforts such as P.S. I Love You Day and work by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Coluccio said, have helped change the language surrounding mental health and suicide.

Coluccio said progress has been made, particularly among districts that have worked with the foundation, but the willingness to address the issue still varies.

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” he said.

A home away from home

Davis Park was selected for the social mixer because of Christopher’s close connection to the Fire Island community.

“Davis Park and Fire Island was kind of our home away from home for the summer,” Coluccio said. “We spent many years there at Davis Park, fishing and boating, going to the beach and just hanging out. It’s another one of our communities that has been supportive and celebrated our family.”

The Christopher A. Coluccio Foundation will host its fifth annual Social Mixer for Suicide Prevention on Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Casino Cafe in Davis Park. This year’s Force for Good honoree is Seth Needelman, owner of The Fish Store.

The community supported the family after Christopher’s death with a memorial bench bearing his name now sits along Main Walk.

Christopher was the son of Chris and Jennifer Coluccio and the brother of Bella, 21, and Nico, 13. Chris Sr. serves as foundation president and Jennifer as treasurer.

Each year, mixer attendees gather near the bench to remember Christopher, discuss the foundation’s mission and recognize the recipient of its Force for Good Award.

Coluccio said the Davis Park community also demonstrated how easily people’s private struggles can remain unknown, even among longtime friends and neighbors.

After his son’s death, he learned that other people he had known for years had children who struggled with their mental health or had also died by suicide.

“You can be with people all the time and not know that they had the same challenges that you’re having,” he said.

Foundation to honor Fish Store owner

This year’s Force for Good Award will be presented to Seth Needelman of The Fish Store.

The annual honor recognizes a person who has supported the foundation and the surrounding community.

“Seth is probably one of the greatest supporters that we’ve ever had,” Coluccio said.

Needleman began supporting the family immediately after Christopher’s death and has remained involved with the foundation. Coluccio said Needleman continually gives his time to the organization and community without seeking recognition.

Following the ceremony at Christopher’s bench, the afternoon will continue with food, music, drinks, raffles, time on the beach and opportunities for attendees to speak with one another.

Coluccio said the underlying purpose is to celebrate life while raising money for a serious cause.

Scholarships for students who may otherwise go unnoticed

One of the foundation’s largest public programs is its annual scholarship initiative.

This past June, the foundation awarded approximately $18,000 to 24 students, Coluccio said.

“We try to see scholarships in a different way that doesn’t always go to just the kids who are at the top of their class or the best athletes,” Coluccio said.

Some applicants write essays describing mental health challenges they have faced and how they worked to overcome them.

The organization also offers what it calls its “under-the-radar” scholarships. Teachers and community leaders nominate students who quietly help others or persevere through difficult personal circumstances but may not ordinarily receive public recognition.

Those recipients could include a student who tutors classmates, volunteers in the community or helps care for a parent with cancer or another serious illness.

The scholarship presentation has become one of Coluccio’s favorite nights of the year.

“We get the letters that are written to us, the students that tell us that they never would have gotten a scholarship, or that we were able to recognize them when other people didn’t,” Coluccio said. “It’s just an amazing feeling.”

The awards also reinforce the message that young people can speak openly about their struggles and continue moving forward.

“We can talk about those struggles and still get past them,” he said.

Removing barriers to therapy

The foundation works behind the scenes to connect people with appropriate mental health treatment.

It has established relationships with local therapy providers, allowing the organization to refer people for care and cover the cost of their first three sessions in certain cases.

The goal is to help someone begin treatment quickly without first being stopped by questions about insurance coverage, available money or whether a particular professional is within the person’s insurance network.

The foundation also maintains a resource guide detailing local therapy practices, nonprofits and other mental health services.

The foundation now works to ensure that other families learn about those services before a crisis.

Coluccio said the organization tries to determine which providers are best equipped to help with a person’s particular circumstances. Some may have greater experience serving LGBTQ young people, while others may focus on boys, girls, family conflict or people requiring more immediate care.

It also encourages mental health organizations, school districts and nonprofits with similar missions to communicate and share resources rather than operate separately.

Although the foundation’s work is concentrated primarily in and around communities including Bayport-Blue Point, Sayville and Patchogue-Medford, Coluccio said it has connected people with services as far west as Nassau County.

‘The conversation has to happen’

Although navigating mental health systems can be challenging and available services do not always function as effectively as families need, Coluccio said there are people and organizations prepared to listen and help.

“The conversation has to happen,” Coluccio said. “Talking about it and getting it out in the open is probably one of the most important things.”

Coluccio said he hopes Christopher would be proud of what the foundation has accomplished.

If the organization had instead been created in memory of someone else, he believes his son would have volunteered to help.

“He was that type of person,” Coluccio said. “He would be helping us in our mission and helping the people around him.”

He also believes Christopher would be surprised to learn how deeply his life affected others.

“I think he’d be shocked to see just how many people actually knew him, loved him and cared for him,” Coluccio said, “even though he might not have felt that way.”

Advance tickets for the annual Social Mixer for Suicide Prevention are $70 and tickets at the door are $75. More information is available through the Christopher A. Coluccio Foundation.

Proceeds will support the foundation’s work providing scholarships, connecting families with mental health professionals and reducing the financial and logistical barriers that can prevent people from quickly receiving treatment.

People experiencing a mental health crisis, or those concerned about someone else, can call or text the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.