DMAX Foundation is a developing non-profit organization with local roots in Radnor, Pa. Laurie and Lee Maxwell lost their beloved 18 year old son Dan to suicide when his inner pain became too great for him to bear. Dan had been plagued with mental and emotional pain for eighteen months, without relief, before he took his life. He tried to get better in every way possible. For 18 months preceding Dan’s passing, he and his family saw physicians, psychiatrists, and psychologists, tried medications and dietary changes, and conducted tireless research. One thing the Maxwells were not able to do is speak out. It was too difficult to confide in friends and relatives about what was happening inside their family. Though their hearts will forever be broken, the Maxwells vowed to turn their and Dan’s tragic journey toward helping countless other families and particularly young people who suffer in silence. Dan’s gift to us all will be to inspire communities to support and embrace those in need so that no one will have to bear such pain, confusion and uncertainty in isolation again. Thus, the DMAX Foundation was founded to eliminate stigma and encourage safe and caring conversations about mental and emotional issues in our youth. • We are creating Conversations That Matter and speaking up to combat stigma and negative stereotypes. We are helping friends and family increase understanding and demonstrate compassion for youth suffering from mental or emotional pain. • DMAX Foundation is starting DMAX Clubs on college campuses. Clubs are environments for all students to get together and talk about how they are doing, how their friends are doing and how they can help each other. The clubs help reduce the sense of isolation and hopelessness for students going through tough times by fostering the recognition that mental health issues should not separate “us versus them” and that all of us occupy a place on the continuous spectrum of mental health. We are all in this together. The foundation was named after Dan, a 3-sport athlete whose his teammates called him “DMAX.” Together we light the darkness.