The Ray Hotel Hosts JED’s Third Annual Florida Gala to Support Local Youth Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Initiatives

On Thursday, November 3, 2022 over 150 guests gathered under the stars at The Ray Hotel’s Rosewater Rooftop in Delray Beach for The Jed Foundation’s Florida Gala. Now in its third year, this premiere event serves to raise awareness, funds, and spirits statewide. 

One in every three teens and young adults experienced mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral problems in the past year, and suicide was the second-leading cause of death for ages 10-34 in 2021. In Florida, 15% of young people experienced a major depressive episode recently, while 81% of local communities do not have an adequate number of mental health professionals. 

At JED’s Florida Gala, guests gathered to take part in powerful conversations about how these urgent issues can be addressed and contributed to more than $275,000 being raised. These donations will help protect teens and young adults throughout Florida. JED currently partners with nine schools throughout the state and will continue to grow the number of schools we partner with in Florida.  

The night was co-hosted by JED CEO, John MacPhee, and Sports Illustrated Swim Search model, content creator, and health advocate, Gigi Robinson. A discussion on youth mental health featured local students and advocates, and the evening concluded with insights on JED’s current and continued work in the state and nationwide.

“The Jed Foundation is focused on helping millions of students with their emotional well-being across the country,” said Robinson. “I am honored to partner with such an incredible organization that works hard every day to ensure that teens and young adults get the mental health resources they need to keep going.”

 “We are grateful to our Florida friends and advocates who not only work with JED to strengthen youth mental health and suicide prevention programs, but also to create communities of care across local high schools and colleges,” said MacPhee. “By stepping up every day to provide teens and young adults with the skills and knowledge they need to help themselves and others, we are creating a mental health safety net to save the lives of students across America.”

The event was sponsored by The Ray Hotel, Kendra Scott Jewelry, SurGenTech, Nick Malinosky, Candice Friis/Corcoran, Bernstein, Cloud10, Delray Dermatology, One Door North, Roly’s Trucking, Vignobles Sullivan Wine, Nicholson Muir Meats, Robinson Family Foundation, Ray Fennelly and Wendy Nemerofsky, Paley Institute, Charlie fund, Pechter Family Foundation, Morgan Stanly and Grandic Family.