About Us
Our Mission
The Jesse Klump Suicide Awareness and Prevention Program's objective is to end the threat of suicide in Worcester County and beyond through a program of outreach and education.
The grief following a suicide is often more intense, more complex, and more difficult to come to terms with than grief following a loss to other causes.
In addition to several community organized events throughout the year; each month, the program hosts a support group meeting for those who have lost loved ones to suicide and who are having difficulty coming to terms with their grief.
Our History
The Jesse Klump Suicide Awareness and Prevention Program is a program of the Jesse Klump Memorial Fund, Inc. The Fund was created in March, 2009 following the tragic loss to suicide of a promising Snow Hill High School senior.
“I wanted to do something Jesse would approve of,” his mother, Kim Klump, said in a 2011 newspaper interview. The community responded with an outpouring of love and compassion and within a month it became obvious that the original mission, providing scholarship aid to young people who, like Jesse, had demonstrated a passion for service and a willingness to put others ahead of themselves, had struck a common chord.
The first Jesse Klump Memorial Scholar was chosen in May 2009. By July, a corporation was formed and 501(c)3 non-profit status was achieved. The first fund raiser, Jesse’s Paddle, was held in August. Paddle events, plus other fundraising activities, provide 75% of the fund’s annual budget requirements.
Read More >Our People
Jesse R. Klump
In early 2009, the tragic death of Jesse Klump cast a pall over the entire community of Snow Hill, Maryland. Jesse was a fine scholar, a gifted athlete and a natural leader. Beyond his grades or his athletic achievement, Jesse had already demonstrated maturity beyond his years and had, by the strength of his character, inspired his peers (and some of us who are a lot older than his peers) to respect and emulate him.
Jesse remains the light that guides us through all of our missions. The criteria by which we choose the annual Jesse Klump Memorial Scholar is based entirely on the example Jesse set of living a life of caring and helpfulness every day with no expectation of reward. The Jesse Klump Suicide Awareness and Prevention Program exists to help young people navigate the anguish and challenges of their young adult lives; to become what Jesse would have become, to achieve Jesse’s goal of making the world a better place through others.
Board of Directors Kim A. Klump, President
Kim is a retired Licensed Environmental Health Specialist for the Worcester County government. She has trained as a facilitator for suicide grievers’ support groups and is a certified mentor for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Kim hosts the monthly suicide grievers' support group and is a certified personal grief counselor.
Kathy Bassett, Vice President
Ed Tudor, Treasurer
Stacey Norton, Recording Secretary
Ronald W. Pilling, Corresponding Secretary
Board Members
- Tiffany Barry
- Donna Black
- Leah Klump
- Jennifer Rice
Charity Actions
- American Association of Suicidology
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
- Atlantic General Hospital
- The Snow Hill Maryland Ministerial Alliance
- Worcester County Board of Education
- Worcester County Health Department
We've listed our private and corporate donors.
The Jesse Klump Memorial Scholarship Fund, Inc. is a registered 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation and your contributions may be tax deductible.
Please help end suicide and donate to our cause.