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Take Note: How Her Sister's Death By Suicide Led Marisa Vicere To Create The Jana Marie Foundation

Marisa Vicere is the founder of the Jana Marie Foundation.
Shawn Henfling
/
Captured Chaos

After losing her sister to suicide in 2011, Marisa Vicere founded the Jana Marie Foundation in her sister’s honor.

The State College-based non-profit aims to educate and empower young people in the Centre County region and to build awareness about mental well-being and suicide prevention.

Vicere talked with WPSU during National Suicide Prevention Month about the foundation and her sister. 

Lindsey Whissel Fenton, MEd, (she/her) is an Emmy award-winning filmmaker, international speaker, and grief educator. In her current role as a senior producer and director at PBS/NPR affiliate WPSU, Lindsey focuses on projects related to grief, trauma, and mental health. She is the creator of Speaking Grief and its sister-initiative, Learning Grief and serves on the board of directors for the National Alliance for Children’s Grief (NACG). A sought-after speaker on grief literacy and educational outreach strategy, Lindsey delivered a keynote at the 44th Association for Death Education and Counseling (ADEC) Conference and has presented to a variety of organizations, including NACG, American Public Television (APT), Johnson & Johnson, the PBS Annual Meeting, and Comic-Con San Diego, among others. Lindsey earned her bachelor’s degree in Cinema and Digital Arts from Point Park University and her master’s degree in Learning, Design, and Technology from Penn State. She is a dog-mom, an avid reader, and rock climber.
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