By Tyler Dahlgren

Part I: JJ's Legacy

Nearly 11 years have passed since Randy and Jules Vanderheiden lost their son, though time doesn’t dull an absence like JJ’s. His memory lives in quiet moments, in familiar places, and in the stories shared by those who knew and loved him. 

JJ was a senior when he passed away in January of 2015. He was a three-sport athlete, a good student who instinctively looked out for others. That was just his nature. He loved his family. He cared for his friends. 

And he was proud to be a York Duke.

“He always stood up for the underdog,” Randy Vanderheiden said. “He was a great boy. We had kids come up to us after he was gone, kids we didn’t know, and they’d say, ‘He always put his arm around me. He always made sure I was okay.’”

Sitting next to her husband, Jules smiled and nodded.

“He took care of others before himself,” she said, wiping a tear from her eyes.

In the decade since JJ’s death, the Vanderheidens have navigated a grief no parent should ever know with an admirable grace and a commitment to their son’s memory and legacy. JJ’s story would not end in tragedy. 

Instead, the memory of a kid who always put others first would live on as a source of awareness, compassion, and hope for others.

That commitment led to the creation of the JJ Vanderheiden Memorial Foundation, an organization rooted in suicide prevention and mental health awareness. Through different trainings, community outreach, and fundraising events, including a recent golf tournament that raised nearly $45,000, the foundation has worked tirelessly to turn loss into purpose.

“We know awareness is important,” Randy said. “Everybody knows there’s a problem. But the question is, how do you help prevent it? How do you give people the tools and knowledge before they’re in crisis?”

Those questions guided the Vanderheidens toward a partnership that just felt right from the start.

Last week, the foundation presented a $25,000 gift to York Public Schools, earmarked for student mental health services through ESU 5’s Wellness4All program. The donation marks a significant milestone, not just for York Public Schools, but for the Vanderheidens, who saw in the program a reflection of JJ’s values and their own mission.

“Everybody here in York, that’s where most of our donations come from, and we wanted to get the most bang for our buck,” Randy explained. “We wanted to make a real impact. Dr. Bartholomew and I had been talking back and forth, and then we pulled Jen in. Once Julie and I heard the whole story, we were all in.”

He’s talking about Jen McNally, ESU 5’s Mental Health and Wellness Director and the founder of Wellness4All, a program that currently serves students in 14 districts across ESU 3, ESU 6, and ESU 5, embedding licensed mental health practitioners directly into school buildings. 

NPSA has featured the Wellness4All model throughout the years. Its philosophy is simple but transformative. Remove barriers, normalize support, and meet students where they are.

For Jules Vanderheiden, learning about the program was an emotional turning point. Something just felt right. This was going to be the next chapter in her son’s story.

“I was just in awe of everything she told me they had done,” Jules said. “I was all in.”

The alignment was immediate. Wellness4All doesn’t just address crisis. The program focuses on prevention, connection, and long-term well-being. Students don’t need a diagnosis. Families don’t have to navigate insurance. Help is available when it’s needed most, inside the walls where students spend their days.

For McNally, the Vanderheidens’ support carried both gratitude and responsibility. She joined YPS superintendent Dr. Mitch Bartholomew, who Randy mentioned earlier and school board president Pepper Papineau to accept the check from the Vanderheidens last week.

“I don’t know if ‘thankful’ or ‘honored’ even covers it,” she said. “We feel an extreme responsibility to honor JJ and the person he was. Continuing his legacy through our model just made sense after we met them.”

At the heart of that legacy is a message that resonates throughout Wellness4All’s work: It’s okay to not be okay. The earlier students know that, the sooner the stigma is crushed, the better, said Katie Harwick, who sat next to the Vanderheidens last week.

It’s more than something the Wellness4All team posts on social media, added McNally.

“Kids struggle, adults struggle, we all struggle at times. This is a way to continue a message of hope, to reiterate that you’re not alone.”

Dr. Bartholomew emphasized that while the dollar amount was significant and staggering, even, the true impact lies elsewhere. It’ll be felt in the days, months and the years to come.

“The money donation itself is incredible,” Bartholomew said. “But what I know Randy and Jules are really interested in is the impact this is going to have in our buildings.”

The Vanderheidens are emblematic of the love York has for the schools and for the kids in the community. They’ve turned an unimaginable loss into a beacon of hope, and they’ve done so with remarkable grace.

“To take a situation that many parents will never understand and turn it into a message of hope, that your mistakes don’t define you, that it’s okay to ask for help, is absolutely incredible,” Bartholomew said.

Papineau echoed that sentiment, calling the gift a natural extension of the district’s mission.

“Our number one priority is students,” Papineau said. “This ties directly into our motto: Every student. Every day. Find a way. This is another way to make sure kids are okay, to remove barriers and hurdles. The pride we feel today is over the moon.”

Amidst the pride, though, there will always be pain. Grief and gratitude are two very different things, but sometimes they can come together to make something beautiful.

“I feel so good about doing this today,” Jules said. “It's so good, but yet I'm so sad I have to, because it took a tragic thing to make something good come out of it. 

Knowing that JJ’s name will be tied to hope for years to come brings the Vanderheidens comfort. Every student helped through the program becomes part of his story, a continuation of the kindness and care he showed in life.

That was just JJ. Always taking care of others.

“They’re our future,” Randy said of York’s students. “They’re a reflection of us, and we want to give everybody a chance.”

Part II: Inside the Buildings, Where It Matters Most

If the Vanderheidens’ gift represents vision, its impact is being realized in the hallways, classrooms, and lunchrooms of York Public Schools.

York began exploring Wellness4All last year, prompted by conversations and referrals from neighboring districts already using the model. Brian Gralheer, principal of York High School, heard nothing but resounding praise for the program from peers in Seward, Milford and Centennial.

“They all had very positive things to say,” Gralheer said. “Dr. Bartholomew and Jen started talking about how this could work here, and it became clear that this was something we needed.”

This year marks York’s first with Wellness4All embedded in all three school buildings. The rollout, by all accounts, has been seamless.

“It’s been a blessing,” Gralheer said. “Just having additional adults whose sole focus is connecting with kids and helping them, it fills a gap. You can never have too many adults who care about students in a building.”

That gap isn’t unique to York. Schools everywhere are grappling with increased anxiety among students and growing awareness for mental health needs. Even in a district known for its strong culture and low staff turnover, the challenges are there.

“It’s more difficult than ever to be a child,” Gralheer said. “There’s anxiety about the future, about expectations, about measuring yourself against others. We want students to be the best version of themselves, and sometimes they need help getting there.”

Enter Kelsey Koranda, a mental health practitioner with ESU 5 who has spent this semester bouncing around from one York school to another, growing relationships with students. 

From day one, she says the community’s openness set York apart. She could tell this place was special.

“Everyone was so supportive right away,” Koranda said. “Administration, staff and kids, they’re all for what we’re doing here. It was so easy to walk in the door.”

That support has translated into quick growth. Implementation of the Wellness4All model has been seamless. It was a natural fit from the start. Koranda’s referral list reached nearly 20 students early in the year, a sign not of crisis, but of trust.

“The cool part is you can walk into the lunchroom here and the kids make eye contact and talk to you,” she said. “That tells you a lot about the culture here. It grew really quickly, which is great.”

Visibility is a cornerstone of the Wellness4All model. Practitioners don’t stay tucked away in offices. They’re in classrooms, hallways, welding labs, art rooms, and even FFA events. They’re anywhere students are.

“We go by first names on purpose,” said Cole Stark, a psychotherapist with ESU 5. “It’s easier to talk to Cole or Kelsey than ‘Mr. Stark.’ We want to be relatable. Being visible and accessible makes it more normal.”

That approach helps dismantle stigma. What once might have raised eyebrows is now the norm. It’s okay to not be okay.

“We’re not waiting until kids are in crisis,” Stark said. “They already know us. They’ve said hi. They’ve stopped by. So when they’re having a rough day, they ask for help.”

Wellness4All removes many of the barriers that traditionally prevent students from accessing mental health care. No insurance. No diagnosis. No waiting weeks for an appointment.

“If they’re in crisis, they need help now,” Koranda said.

Instead, students can walk in, talk, and leave feeling supported—sometimes that support looks like therapy, sometimes it looks like sitting quietly while homework gets done.

“Sometimes kids just need someone sitting next to them,” Gralheer said. “That alone can make all the difference. It can mean the world.”

The academic benefits, while not the program’s primary focus, are undeniable. Stark likens the work to correcting vision, a fitting analogy as Gralheer refers to the tandem as “eye doctors for the district.”

“If everything is blurry because of trauma or anxiety, you can’t learn,” Stark said. “Once kids are in the right headspace, education can happen.”

Data from Wellness4All’s nine years of operation back that up. Improved attendance, stronger connections, and a 100 percent graduation rate among students who complete the program. At York, the presence of Wellness4All has naturally complemented an empathetic teaching staff.

“Our teachers were already doing a lot of this work,” Gralheer said. “Adding trained professionals who specialize in crisis support was like adding a missing puzzle piece.”

Communication has been key. Families were informed over the summer. Students received clear explanations at the start of the year. The district’s messaging was consistent. Support is available, and it’s okay to use it.

That message resonates, especially with younger students. Bartholomew recently observed Koranda receiving high-fives from kindergarteners at the elementary school. He witnessed the same at the high school days later.

“They recognize why she’s here,” Bartholomew said. “They know they can go to her if they’re struggling.”

For Jules Vanderheiden, seeing that safe space exist for students is deeply meaningful. It brings JJ's parents peace.

“They have that now,” she said. “That’s wonderful.”

To learn more about the JJ Vanderheiden Foundation and its mission, visit j8j.org today.