About uS
Our Mission
The Duck Cup Memorial Fund is a Non-Profit Organization formed of graduates from New Prague High School Class of 2000. In 2001, we had the extremely unfortunate experience of losing a close friend to suicide. It affected us all tremendously. Several years later, we eventually started this organization dedicated to providing resources for mental health awareness and suicide prevention.
We started this journey in 2013 as a result of very generous funding through multiple fundraisers, and have since expanded from just high school students in New Prague to grades 5-12 all across Minnesota and Iowa. In 2024 we have reached over 43,000 students, parents, teachers, and community members. We are dedicated to ending the stigma associated with mental health issues, and moving away from crisis-based response to prevention through education.
Our Team
BoARD oF DiRectors
Dave Hruby - President
Bryan Connelly - Vice President
Nick Deutsch
Eric Ceplecha
Brian Jindra
executives
Angela Sticha - Executive Director
Jess Snyder - Executive Assistant
Meghan Sweetland - Media Director
How we help
“ Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary.”
— Fred Rogers
By collaborating with incredible individuals who share their personal journeys with mental health struggles we help foster understanding and awareness where it is most needed..
These speakers are brought to schools, communities, and businesses to connect directly with students, educators, and professionals, creating a space for open dialogue about mental health. In the most recent year alone, we have reached over 40,000 people through these speaking engagements.
We believe in the power of storytelling, especially when it comes to children and teenagers. By hearing real stories of resilience and mental health recovery, young people are empowered to recognize their own struggles and seek help. These engagements are central to our goal of ending the stigma around mental health and suicide prevention, allowing individuals to see that they are not alone in their challenges and that support is available.
Our unified effort is to promote mental well-being, create safe conversations, and equip communities with the tools to prevent crises before they happen.
• You mAtteR
• You mAtteR
We started this organization understanding that we would never truly know the number of lives we might be saving.
We know our speaking events are positively impacting lives, and we also know that Mental Health education is necessary!
There are so many people out there hurting that need to know it's ok to ask for help.
It's ok to not be ok.
“Vulnerability is not winning or losing; it's having the courage to show up and be seen when we have no control over the outcome. Vulnerability is not weakness; it's our greatest measure of courage.”
— Brené Brown
