Helping Youth Heal: A Mission to End the Silence

When a conversation feels too heavy to start, sometimes it just needs the right voice. In Anne Arundel County, Maryland, that voice belongs to a small but mighty nonprofit empowering young people to understand mental health and substance misuse — and take action before crisis hits.

Turning Grief into Purpose

Katie Wargo knows this work on a personal level. She founded Sound of Silence alongside her mother after losing both of her brothers (twins) and her father to substance misuse.

“Substance misuse runs deep in my family,” Katie says. “And we didn’t have the education or understanding back then to recognize what was happening — not with my brothers in middle school, or even earlier generations.”

Katie’s story is one of turning pain into prevention. Sound of Silence partners with Anne Arundel County Public Schools to offer in-school programming, speaking tours, and community events that help students and families recognize early signs of mental health issues and substance misuse, and reduce the stigma surrounding both.

A Lean Crew with Loud Results

With just three team members — Katie, her mom, and longtime public school teacher Michelle Fenner — Sound of Silence is growing fast, bringing life-saving education to more schools and community groups every year. But keeping up with communication and logisticsisn’t easy.

“We’re a three-person show,” Katie explains. “We all wear a lot of hats. Emails, event planning, staying in touch with vendors and schools. It adds up fast.”

That’s where SignUpGenius comes in.

How SignUpGenius Makes It Work

To keep things running smoothly, Sound of Silence uses SignUpGenius to:

• Manage large events by creating sign ups for vendors, attendees, and youth participants
  
• Coordinate school visits with a shared calendar where schools can choose their preferred dates and times
  
• Streamline outreach to youth groups and other local organizations for workshops and speaking engagements with group messaging and auto reminders
  

“It’s been a huge help,” Katie says. “SignUpGenius is something schools already use and trust, so it makes scheduling easier on everyone, including us.”

Breaking Stigmas, One Sign Up at a Time

Sound of Silence is creating a space for honest conversations — and it’s working. By connecting with students where they are and giving them tools to understand what they or their loved ones may be facing, this grassroots team is building something powerful.

“Prevention starts before a problem begins,” Katie says. “And SignUpGenius helps us show up, stay organized, and keep the message going.”

Want to Make a Difference Like Sound of Silence?

Whether you’re leading a nonprofit, planning community events, or organizing scholprogams, SignUpGenius can simplify your process – and amplify your impact.