BALDWINSVILLE — Abbott Farms will help honor one of their former employees by hosting the third annual Life Worth Living 5K Run, Walk, and Family Fun Day for suicide awareness and prevention on Sunday, Aug. 14. (See the sidebar at the end of this article for details.)

The event is presented in memory of Zach Helfrich, who died by suicide on Aug. 16, 2019.

Zach Helfrich had recently turned 19 and graduated from Baldwinsville’s Baker High School. He had been accepted into the prestigious Corps of Cadets, U.S. Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps and was headed to Virginia Tech, where he planned to study finance.

“Zach was a nice, friendly kid. All who knew him, liked him,” said Zach’s father, Robert Helfrich. “He suffered in silence with depression and anxiety. As parents, we didn’t know the depth of his issues — never thought he would commit suicide. I would hope Zach is remembered for the kind and thoughtful kid he was. If someone so outwardly normal is suffering inside, perhaps others will recognize the signs and get them help.”

Working at Abbott’s was Zach’s first job, and, according to his father, he loved it.

“He worked during the Abbott’s Fall Festival making caramel apples,” Robert said. “Warren Abbott selected Zach to work food service, which was quite an honor for him. He often brought extras home and shared them with his friends at school.”

After he turned 18, Zach put some of his earnings toward a brokerage account.

“Zach traded his own stocks and his portfolio increased over 80% after he died,” Robert said.

In early 2020, Robert started the Zach Helfrich Memorial Fund, Inc. (ZHMF) with the mission of building awareness, supporting effective treatment programs, and reducing the prevalence of suicide among young people.
The 100-percent volunteer organization received its 501(c)(3) nonprofit status before the first Life Worth Living 5K and Walk, which is now in its third year.

A major focus of ZHMF is increasing suicide awareness in parents.

“Such awareness is stressed at all of our events,” said Robert. “Most parents would never conceive that their child might take their life. Nothing could ever be that bad. It’s very easy to dismiss questionable behavior as a teenage phase. Teenagers naturally withdraw from their parents. But it also could be a symptom of something much more serious. Teenage mental health and suicide is a very real epidemic. The CDC recently released a study [determining] that in 2019, 9% of high school students attempted suicide. That was before the pandemic. If parents are aware of the possibility that their child could harm themselves, then hopefully they can find the help their child may need.”

Since its establishment, ZHMF has raised over $40,000, all of which has stayed in the local community to support programs to reduce suicides among our teenagers and young adults. The organization also supports the local chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

In 2021, ZHMF established the Zach Helfrich Memorial Endowment to support Upstate Medical University’s Psychiatry High Risk Program (PHRP), which is an outpatient treatment center for adolescents and young people at high risk of suicide. The endowment helps uninsured or underinsured patients get the treatment they need.

“The PHRP has been phenomenally successful treating kids 14-plus and young adults at high risk of suicide,” said Robert.

All the net proceeds from the Life Worth Living event, including registration fees, donations, and sponsorships, will help build the Zach Helfrich Memorial Endowment.

The Life Worth Living race is one of several Baldwinsville events benefiting ZHMF this summer.

On Aug. 13, the night before the race, San Miguel Mexican Bar & Grill at 2 Oswego St. will be contributing 10% of the evening’s net revenue to the organization.

On July 15, ZHMF hosted the Second Annual Life Worth Living Golf Tournament, and WT Brews hosted a fundraiser July 22 where guests received a free pint for every $10 donation.

Robert described the work he does through ZHMF as his therapy. Although it is sometimes very difficult to speak about the loss of his son, he said he is motivated by the knowledge that his death was not in vain and the idea that, through suicide awareness and funding treatment programs, others could be saved.

“Everyone deals with grief in different ways,” Robert said. “Personally, I think it is generally helpful to be outward with your grief versus self-isolate. Talk about how you feel with friends and family. Attend grief groups. It’s a long, hard road to find the ‘new normal,’ but life does get better.”

To learn more about ZHMF, visit zachmemorial.com or follow Zach Helfrich Memorial Fund, Inc., on Facebook.

Event details

The Life Worth Living 5K Run, Walk, and Family Fun Day for suicide awareness and prevention takes place Sunday, Aug. 14, at Abbott Farms, located at 3275 Cold Springs Road in Baldwinsville.

The 5K runners will start at 9 a.m. and the walking event will start at 10 a.m. Racers will be timed using chips. A virtual 5K option is also available.
The unique course will take participants through various areas of the farm, a housing development behind the farm, and a memorial orchard dedicated to over 40 victims with local ties who lost their lives to suicide.

Back at Abbott Farms, there will be ice cream, bakery goods, berry picking, visits with baby animals in the barnyard, and other family activities. The Cider House Grille will also be open, offering a full menu of grilled entrees and treats.

Racers can register for the run, walk, and virtual event online at runsignup.com/lifeworthliving5K, or they can register in person and pick up packets on Aug. 13, from 4 to 7 p.m., and on race day from 8 to 9 a.m. Early bird registration for the 5K run is $35; the price increases after July 31. Registration for the walk and virtual 5K is $30 per person.