Break Through the Static, an organization centered around supporting teens who have lost loved ones to suicide, is dissolving. Jade Chamness, the founder, flew to South Korea yesterday to leave Static behind and start a new chapter of her life.

“I realized I cannot be the leader that Static needs and grow as I need to as an individual,” Chamness said. “Therefore, I have begun the process to dissolve the corporation.”

The breaking up of the organization, which has been around to support teenagers in need since 2009, is sure to hit some people hard. However, the last thing Chamness wants to do is leave the kids she and Static have been working with in the lurch.

“I am working with partner organizations and schools to ensure the teens we served have the services they need,” Chamness said. “Together we have compiled a list of support and resources that was disseminated by the teens Static served.”

You can find some of these at the bottom of this article.

Palo Alto High School senior Lindsay Sapigao was very involved with Static, and, though Chamness maintains there are many other similar groups out there, Sapigao is saddened by the ending of such an important organization.

“I can’t think of any other groups that are quite like Static,” she said. “I was deeply saddened by the news of [its] dissolvement.”

However, like Chamness, she hopes a new group will come along to fill the hole Static has left behind.

“Although Static is gone, its message is not,” Sapigao said. “This is just the beginning of fostering youth affected by suicide…Hopefully a similar group will come again soon.”

And what’s next for Chamness?

“I will fly to South Korea with a one-way ticket to begin a big adventure with no goal in mind except to rest and rejuvenate,” she said. “I cannot wait to discover and learn and grow.”

Resources for Teens in Need

• HEARD Alliance Coordinator: (650) 725-7924
• Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital @ Stanford Intake: (650) 723-7704
• Palo Alto Medical Foundation Intake: (650) 853-4726
• Santa Clara County Hotline: 1-800-704-0900
• San Francisco Suicide Prevention: http://www.sfsuicide.org/
• Adolescent Counseling Services: www.acs-teens.org
• ACS: After School Counseling Service (ASCP) and Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment (ASAT):                    (650)-424-0852
• Kara Grief Support: www.kara-grief.org, (650) 321-5272
• Project Outlet: www.projectoutlet.org
• Community Health Awareness Council (CHAC): www.chacmy.org, (650) 965-2020
• Suicide+Crisis Hotline: (855) 278-4204
• Trevor Lifeline for LGBTQ Youth: (866) 488-7386
• TeenLine: (408) 276-8228
• EMQ 24 hr. Crisis Line: (408) 379-9085
• Alcohol and Drug Helpline: (650) 579-0350
• Domestic Violence: (800) 940-7850
• Kids’ Turn-Parental Separation/Divorce: (415) 437-0700
• Rape Crisis Center: (408) 287-3000
• Runaway Youth-National Hotline: (800) 621-4000