Have you ever had a friend in distress, and you don’t know what to do? It’s a problem many of us face, and we often don’t know where to turn for help.
Sadly, Lynn Luckey Moody ’93 lost her battle with mental distress and chronic illness. Her husband, Scott Moody ’91, set out to make sure more people know of the resources available to them. In 2021, he created the Lynn L. Moody Endowment for Mental Health and Suicide Awareness in honor of his wife, The fund has been making a positive impact on the health and well-being of College of Charleston students ever since.
Thanks to the Lynn Moody Fund, the Office of Student Wellness and Well-being has been able to expand its outreach and help more students in distress. The fund has also given the OSWW team the flexibility to evolve and respond to the needs of the CofC campus.
For example, initially OSWW offered in-person How to Help a Struggling Friend classes for students. The classes taught how to identify common mental health challenges, recognize signs of struggle in others, take action and find resources for more support. In its first two academic years (2022 and 2023), OSWW taught 226 students, but the team discovered that schedule conflicts precluded many students from participating. To create more flexibility for students, OSWW used the Lynn Moody Fund to create a customized, interactive online class customized for CofC students.
The online class launched in summer 2024 and has already had 65 students take the course. These students represent a broader spectrum of the campus community, including student clubs, George Street Fitness Center employees, Multicultural Student Programs and Services and sororities. Plans are underway to incorporate student athletes.
Upon receiving constructive feedback about the course from students concerned about managing their emotions after supporting a struggling friend, OSWW introduced a “Taking Care of You” component to their online course.
Griffin Hogan who serves as a veteran peer advisor, shared how the course helped him better support his fellow veteran students.
“This course helped me to really focus on subtle warning signs and to notice when a student or friend is having problems that they may not be comfortable opening up immediately about. I learned to pay attention to those things that may go unnoticed, while also learning to try to help without being overwhelmed.
“As students, we all reach points where we may struggle and not know how to express what we’re feeling,” adds Hogan. “It’s important to recognize, especially in my position as a veteran peer advisor, that it’s okay for students to be struggling. But it’s not okay for me to not try my best to help them express what they’re feeling and have productive conversations from that. This training helped me be better at my role.”
After students took the How to Help a Struggling Friend online class, the OSWW team noticed they would often approach them to collaborate and use OSWW programs for their club or organization. In addition, in the last two years, 85 students have taken the initiative to use the FAST form, a reporting tool to share concerns about a struggling student with Office of the Dean of Students. These students shared that that they knew about the form from the OSWW class.
In addition to a program for students, OSWW offers employees a course on How to Help a Struggling Student. For the first two academic years (2022 and 2023), 35 faculty and staff took the course. Given the success of its online class for students, in 2025, the team is using the Lynn Moody Fund to create an online class for employees, which will certainly increase the participation rate.
On top of classes, throughout the year OSWW conducts mental health surveys around campus. Based on how students score on questions around depression and anxiety, the OSWW team recommends options from self-care to counseling. In the coming year, the team will be partnering with the Counseling Center to conduct a screening day, with the goal of reaching even more students.
OSWW has found social media to be a strong channel to reach students. In 2024 alone, its social media reach was 83,850, leading to approximately 2,000 unique visitors to the OSWW internal website.
In 2025, OSWW will be training new members of its Students 4 Support team. Founded 2007, S4S student volunteers are taught emotional response techniques and are certified in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training so they can help their peers thrive academically and personally. Each year, S4S has more than 50 volunteers. Eight new members will start in the spring, and 12 more members will be trained over the summer.
“Through the program, I’ve learned that prevention isn’t just about offering solutions, it’s about creating a safe space where others feel heard and supported,” says Cameron Sumter. “The skills I’ve acquired empower me to approach tough conversations with empathy, recognize signs of distress, and guide friends toward the help they need before it’s too late.”
Adds Emily Steckly, “Taking How to Help a Struggling Friend during my freshman year helped me become a better peer, friend, S4S member and resident assistant, even if I didn’t recognize it at the time. This training taught me the many signs of people around me who may be struggling with their mental health and/or suicidal thoughts. It also taught me the appropriate ways to be a supportive presence capable of listening, caring and finding more helpful resources. As an RA, these skills helped me identify a resident who was struggling academically and socially, which allowed me to connect them with various resources in the residence hall and on campus!”
By creating a socially connected culture on campus where individuals have the skills and knowledge of how to support someone who is struggling with mental health, OSWW aims to improve the quality of life for students.
“We know our training works as we encourage rigorous evaluation of our programs to ensure we uphold the gold standard of evidence-based suicide prevention training,” Rachael McNamara, director of the Office of Student Wellness & Well-being
While OSWW has already made great strides with the support of the Lynn Moody Fund, more funds are needed to continue the momentum. OSWW wants to train more facilitators in Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, which will strengthen participant skills to recognize the signs that a person is having thoughts of suicide and confidently intervene to help keep them safe.