Board of Directors:
Marie Field- President
Christiana Field- Vice President
Howie Field- Treasurer
Cecile Haase- Secretary
Russ Arrigoni
Dawn Earley
Jonathan W. Field Esq.
Gary Ginter
Megan Haase
Did you know that in Connecticut, suicide is the second leading cause of death in 2018 for ages 15-34 (afsp.org). According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in 2017, 47,173 suicides were reported, making suicide the 10th leading cause of death for Americans. In that year, someone in our country died by suicide every 11.2 minutes.
We have focused on mental health awareness following the loss of our son Nathaniel Field who took his life on April 12, 2015. Nathan was an outstanding student in his junior year at Haddam-Killingworth High School. He was involved in numerous school clubs and activities, and participated in tennis and indoor track. He was witty, modest, and a great son and brother. We never had any reason to suspect that he was struggling.
To date, our foundation has awarded Seventeen $1000 scholarships to Haddam-Killingworth High School seniors. In addition, we teamed up with John Morello in bringing John to HKHS, HKMS, Valley Regional HS, and Coginchaug Regional HS. John has captivated over 2,800 students and staff as he wove his personal stories that covered a wide range of topics including substance abuse, mental health awareness, inclusion, and suicide prevention.
Our Foundation has also supported organizations that share similar goals. Our team “You’re Worth It!” has participated in three American Foundation for Suicide Prevention “Out of Darkness Community Walks. In December 2017 and 2018, we participated in the Brian Dagle Foundation’s Niantic 5K Jingle Bell walks, and also donated books to the lending library at their new Center For Hope And Healing. On December 11, 2018, we donated $1000 to Volunteers in Psychotherapy. In addition, we continue to participate in various workplace and community awareness, education, and prevention health fairs and other activities.
Finally, a long term goal is related to the tremendous need for support groups to assist survivors by providing hope and the knowledge that they are not alone. Luckily we found a Suicide Survivors support group that has helped us tremendously in regaining some degree of normalcy in our lives. Sadly, many families are confronted with similar circumstances. We have come to the realization that numerous people, young and old, struggle with diagnosed and undiagnosed mental illness. We have experienced firsthand that loved ones can hide serious, yet treatable illnesses from their friends, family, teachers, and classmates.
Dying by suicide is an epidemic in this country! With your help, we want to spread our motto around like wildfire! “YOU’RE WORTH IT!” If the activities that we pursue, through your generous support, save even one life, then we will be proud of our efforts. Together, we can make a difference!
Thank you! Marie and Howie Field
For more information or to contact us please visit our website http://www.nathanielfield.org/ , or our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/NathanielB.FieldMemorialFoundation/or email us at
