The Semicolon Between Loss and Legacy
Chad's Story
Chad’s story didn’t end—it became the spark for a nationwide movement to transform mental health care.
Chad was an artist, a dreamer, a scientist, a beloved son and brother. Gifted with a vivid imagination and deep curiosity, he dreamed of building spacecraft for NASA and exploring the edges of the universe. But even as his talents blossomed, Chad faced an invisible struggle with schizophrenia. Like so many others, Chad struggled not just with the illness itself, but with a system that made continuity of care—and hope—difficult to hold onto.
Pause with Purpose; Proceed with Hope.
Turning a moment into a movement.
Chad’s mind was extraordinary. As a child, he filled notebooks with spacecraft designs and theories about black holes. AS a young man, he was a brilliant thinker who’d hoped to change the world. But mental illness intervened, and at 21, overwhelmed by his struggle, Chad died by suicide.
In the wake of his loss, Chad’s parents, Todd and Laura Crooks, chose not to turn away; they created Chad’s Legacy Project to honor his life by challenging the silence, stigma, and systemic failures surrounding mental health. We invite you to pause, take in Chad’s story, and proceed with us—toward change, toward connection, toward, lasting impact, and toward hope.
Ending the Stigma
Where silence ends; understanding begins.
Chad’s story is one of deep curiosity, creative brilliance, and quiet struggle. Chad was a creative, a future engineer, and a curious mind drawn to the stars. He was also a young man living with a mental illness—navigating a fractured system that too often meets suffering with silence and stigma. In this powerful short film, Shellie Hart shares Chad’s journey and the urgent need to end the stigma around mental illness.
Help us write what comes next.
Turning grief into a powerful call-to-action.
Grief lit the spark, but it’s your donation that keeps the mission moving forward. With your help, we can connect more people to the hope and help they deserve — and ensure Chad’s story continues as one of impact and purpose.
