As a college student, Elena Kilgore ’18 never anticipated becoming the founder of a nonprofit organization but when she was faced with the troubling realities of the mental healthcare system, she sought to help those around her. During her time at Oswego, Kilgore studied as a public relations major with a concentration in journalism and was part of a number of on-campus organizations. Most notably, she cites her time with the Oswego Women’s Rugby team as the most impactful. “It totally altered my perspective on female empowerment and strength,” Kilgore said. School of Communication, Media and the Arts (SCMA) Interim Dean Jennifer Knapp worked closely with Kilgore throughout her college career, even serving as one of her Honors thesis advisors. “Elena was a dream student. Prepared, insightful, and hard-working, all packaged together with a great sense of humor and charming confidence,” Dean Knapp said. Immediately after graduation, Kilgore was hired as a full-time intern at FIFCO USA. By the end of her four years there, she had been promoted to the beer brand PR manager in charge of leading volunteer efforts across the company and managing public relations for the Genesee and Labatt brands. Just over two years ago, Kilgore was seeking therapy and was exposed to the struggles of accessing therapy. “There are so many barriers to mental health care across the board, which is frustrating,” Kilgore said. “Not only just as a system in general, but also as an individual who is seeking mental health care resources, you are likely not in a state where you can navigate a complicated system.” The lack of accessibility to these resources largely stems from the cost. “The average cost of a therapy session in the U.S. is over $100, which is just not feasible,” Kilgore said. She stressed that this cost adds up as therapy is an ongoing process rather than a one-appointment fix. Hoping to help those around her who were also seeking mental health resources, Kilgore decided to create change herself. In February 2021, Kilgore began her business Other People Fund (OPF) and its partner nonprofit organization, Support for the Psyche. She came up with the slogan, “I think we should see other people and by other people I mean therapists,” and had a friend draw up a few sketches. She selected a drawing of a cat and a mouse sharing a charcuterie board. She had 100 shirts printed and set up a website. OPF functions as a business that sells merchandise with the slogan and logo while Support for the Psyche operates as a nonprofit organization and accepts donations. Whatever is not spent on covering the cost of production is given to applicants to cover, on average, the cost of three therapy sessions. Kilgore initially planned on helping a few of those in her life whom she knew were struggling to pay for therapy expenses. Instead, the site blew up. “I posted a TikTok telling a story that was kind of related to the creation and then it led to 647 orders in the first 48 hours,” Kilgore said. The site even caught the attention of international popstar Harry Styles, and he was spotted carrying an Other People Fund tote around London in April 2021. Following the influx of orders, Kilgore caught up with the Other People Fund demand. Applications for aid through Support for the Psyche, however, had skyrocketed. So far, over 380 therapy sessions have been donated through Support for the Psyche to help those who cannot meet the financial demands. While pursuing her nonprofit work, Kilgore has maintained a full-time job as a copywriter and content specialist with the tech company 1WorldSync. She works on the company’s blog and social media accounts, and with the PR team. “I work with a lot of our customers and partners to tell the stories of how they’ve used our solutions to get ahead,” Kilgore said. Recently, an artist friend raffled off one of her pieces and all the proceeds were donated to Kilgore’s nonprofit. She hopes to continue pursuing in-person events with the hopes of collecting more donations as well as applying for grants in order to continue growing Other People Fund and Support for the Psyche. “Elena is the quintessential Oswego and SCMA graduate. She is using her talents and passion to make a difference,” Dean Knapp said. “SCMA grads’ greatest strength lies in their ability to apply their talents (whether as communication professionals, artists or performers) to solve problems, create opportunities, fight for social justice or lead a group of people to an achievement. SCMA graduates are not bystanders, they are doers.”
~Ariana St. Hilaire ’23