A Foundation in the Spirit of Imogen Roche

Imogen Roche, who died last September as the result of a fall. Photo: Courtesy of Theseus Roche

The tragic death [1] last year of 15-year-old Imogen Roche, daughter of Theseus Roche, Manhattan Youth’s director of after-school programs, has spawned a foundation in her honor. The Imogen Foundation [2] will be dedicated to helping city youths provide emotional support to their peers by the creation of workshops “in active listening, compassion, empathy and mental health first aid” to middle and high school students, says its Facebook page [3].

“These workshops will constitute a training program for teenagers to identify peers in crisis, provide appropriate peer support, and understand signs of mental health emergencies that require escalation and additional resources,” the foundation statement said.

Theseus Roche said the foundation will help teens the way his daughter helped them. “Imogen was a special human being who touched a lot of lives,” he said. “She was the shoulder that everybody cried on. She was the one who took care of people. She was kind and compassionate and this is going to affect a lot of people.”

A kick-off event for the Imogen Foundation, “one part memorial, one part fundraiser, and one part dance party,” took place on Tuesday at the Pier A Harbor House. But donations can still be made here [4].