By Cindy Miller

It was a night to remember, based on a life to remember. On February 1, 2000, 36-year-old Todd Thomas took his own life by jumping from the 14th floor of the New York Plaza Hotel. On January 19, 2001, the anniversary of his birthday, his father, Peter Thomas, and Peter's wife, Rita, dedicated a gala evening to his memory. Out of their despair and heartbreak, they built both a lasting tribute to Todd's memory and a comforting hope for others.

The news of Todd's suicide came to Peter and Rita Thomas in a chilling way - through a telephone call from a New York City policeman, and at an ironic time - as they were preparing to board a cruise ship for a relaxing, carefree vacation.

Todd has suffered from a sleep disorder throughout his life and, as a result, suffered from depression. Drug therapy worked only sporadically. When he was happy and functioning, he loved music, dancing and the arts. In fact, Todd was an artist who, in his all-to-brief life, produced several stunning sculptures. Sensitive, perceptive and intuitive, even in his own despair, Todd was a strength in the lives of others, many of whom didn't realize until after his suicide that he was dealing with his own set of challenges.

The news Peter and Rita received that morning barely a year ago would send many parents into a paralyzing emotional tailspin. But Peter Thomas is no ordinary individual. He's a tough-minded businessman whose mind works at lightening speed to visualize a concept, spin out an action plan and achieve his objective. And of 10 years, Rita Thomas has been executive director of the Thomas Foundation, a Canadian foundation which supports children's causes.

In business, Thomas has built an enviable resume. In 1974, he founded Canada's Century 21 Real Estate Ltd. Eleven years later, he founded Samoth Capital Corp., a real estate investment company and merchant bank. In December 1999, his company, Thomas Pride International, completed the $108 million, 210-room Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North.

Within a month of Todd's death, Thomas knew what he needed to do. "I made a decision to celebrate and honor Todd's life," he explains. "And we wanted to do it in a way that would be representative of Todd." The Todd Thomas Foundation was born. The goals are to raise the awareness of the prevalence of mental illness in society today, to erase the stigma associated with it and to fund organizations that provide effective treatments.

"We thought the way to honor his life was to have a black-tie gala on his birthday, which was January 19," Thomas continues. "Since Todd loved music, we decided to do something different in the music world and have a gala where we could do a form of Star Search and seek out new talent."

The phenomenal result of Thomas's vision took place on January 19 at the Four Seasons Resort, and served as testimony to the fact that Peter and Rita Thomas have only one style - first class. The guest list, comprised of friends and supporters, included Bill and Linda Pope, Al and Lisa Molina, Jon and Susan Campbell, Bruce and Jolene McCraw, Sheriff Joe Arpaio, Bill and Sada O'Brien, Channel 12's Brien Kennedy, Ellie and Don Shapiro, and Robyn and Robert Sussman. Craig Chislett represented Sophie Wessex, wife of England's Prince Edward.

Each of the 28 guest tables was adorned with two fabulous pieces of artwork by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly, who contributed 50 percent of the evening's sales to the Todd Thomas Foundation. Guests who appeared on stage included Chihuly, Grammy Award winning producer David Foster, Ed McMahon, and world-class wheelchair athlete, Rick Hansen. A song, "Heaven Holds The Ones I Love," composed by David Foster with lyrics by Linda Thompson, was performed by Nita Whitaker. Foster has given all rights to the song to the Todd Thomas Foundation. Tom Smithwick, Rita's brother-in-law, blessed the evening to background music of Amazing Grace. Top-notch, young soon-to-be stars in the process of launching their careers provided the entertainment in a Star Search format. Each guest responded to the performances through the use of hand-held computers.

While the Thomases staged a beautiful, entertaining and glamorous event, they did not overlook the opportunity to focus on their true purpose. Guests were asked to use their hand-held computers to respond to questions on mental health. The original research provides revealing insight into the prevalence of depression in today's society. Of the 241 guests who responded to the question, "Have you or are you currently struggling with depression?", 30 percent responded in the affirmative. Sixty-eight percent of respondents personally knew someone who had committed suicide, and 7 percent admitted to having attempted suicide themselves. See appendix A for more detail of this research.

That the Thomases started the Todd Thomas Foundation, organized a talented board of directors and put together an event of this magnitude amidst their grief and in such a short period of time is remarkable. But it wasn't without the help of their friends, Rita Thomas points out. She attributes much of the success in getting the foundation up and running to the Arizona Community Foundation, which serves as the umbrella organization for the Todd Thomas Foundation. "Because we are not Americans, we felt we needed the support and expertise of the Arizona Community foundation to do things correctly the first time," says Rita. "They were incredible. In fact, all of the individuals involved in this even were incredible, including our volunteers. We received amazing support from so many people."

Through the organization is in its infancy, plans for continued growth are already charted. Janssen Pharmaceutica has donated $50,000 to be awarded to an individual who has contributed greatly to the awareness of mental illness. And more galas will follow. The January 19 event was a prototype, say the Thomases. Duplicated many times over, it can continue to raise funds for the cause of mental health. "We have been approached by several large groups which would like to make the Todd Thomas Foundation their beneficiary if we would put on this type of show in other cities for their foundations," says Peter. "We have opportunities to advance the show into Vancouver, Dallas, New York City, Fort Lauderdale, San Francisco, St. Louis and Toronto. And we have interest in two more shows in Phoenix." Thomas states that they have several ideas for unique future plans for both national and international fund-raising events.

Peter Thomas is giving serious thought to writing his third book. The working title is When Something Changes Everything. Thomas says that everyone suffers from tragedies in life. They can allow themselves to be devastated by them, or they can "take control" and turn the negative energy into a positive, creative force in their lives. Nothing will ever erase the tragedy, but the individual can choose to redirect the sadness to creating positive circumstances to help others.

Thomas stated that all funds being raised will be spent in the areas from which the individual funds came.

"Statistics prove that 20 percent of all North Americans suffer from some form of mental illness," says Peter Thomas. "There are 17,500,000 diagnosed North Americans suffering from depression. And the third highest killer of children from ages 14 to 24 is suicide. From ages 24 to 34, suicide becomes the second highest killer of our young people."

"Many sicknesses are very recognizable and easily discusses within the family and throughout society," he continues. "Unfortunately, mental illnesses are still in the closet. We must recognize that mental illnesses are simply a disease usually caused by chemical imbalances in the body. Often this disease is genetically inherited. With the acceptance and recognition of this disease, we can begin to put together the resources needed to treat mental illness."

Appendix A

The First Annual Gala of the Todd Thomas Foundation served as a forum for original research regarding the prevalence of mental illness in today's society. The information below represent the audiences electronic response to a survey. Percentages are based on the number of respondents, which varied from 238 to 250.

1. Depression is a biological brain disorder.
True 79%    False 21%    Answer: True

2. In any given year, depression affects what percentage of Americas.
A.m1% (2)    B. 0% (0)    C. 5% (12)    D. 10% (224)    Answer: C

3. Depression is more widespread than:
A. Heart Disease 2%    B. Cancer 2%    C. AIDS 4%    D. All of the above 92%    Answer: D

4. Have you or are you currently struggling with depression?
Yes 30%    No 79%

5. Do you think that depression can be cured?
Yes 78%    No 22%

6. Does anyone in your immediate family struggle with depression?
Yes 74%    No 26%

7. Do you personally know anyone who has attempted suicide?
Yes 71%    No 29%

8. Do you personally know anyone who committed suicide?
Yes 68%    No 32%

9. Have you ever attempted to commit suicide?
Yes 7%    No 93%