Peter Thomas was living the business leader's dream of a lifetime last January.

The lavish Four Seasons Resort he developed in north Scottsdale had opened the month before, and he was preparing to retire as chairman of Samoth Capital Corp., the real estate investment company he founded in 1985.

Then on Feb. 1, Thomas when from the highs achieved by enormous business success, to a nightmarish low known only by the parent who loses a child.

His son Todd, 36, had jumped from the 14th floor of a hotel in New York City.

Today, nearly a year later, Thomas is preparing to host a Jan. 19 fund-raiser at the Four Seasons that will benefit a foundation he is starting to help others who suffer from depression. The sold our benefit with 300 guests will be on Todd Thomas' birthday. The total raised so far is $600,000.

The dinner will be the first of many annual black-tie events planned across the United States and Canada to raise funds for the Todd Thomas Foundation.

Additional funds are expected from Dale Chihuly, a Seattle artist who is shipping $2 million worth of his glass artwork to Scottsdale for the event. The foundation will receive 50 percent of the sales of Chihuly's art.

The dinner's entertainment will be emceed by former "Tonight Show" sidekick Ed McMahon, and David Foster, who has won awards for his music collaborations with singers Barbara Streisand, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and others.

Thomas said starting the new foundation has been therapeutic for his family. He received the news of his son's death in New York City while he and his wife were in a Miami hotel.

"It was 11:22 a.m. actually on Feb. 1," Thomas said. "We were getting ready to go to lunch and then get on the boat. We got a call from a New York City policeman."

Thomas said while his son's suicide was a shock, he wasn't totally surprised because his son had suffered from depression. Thomas' son lived in Los Angeles where he was an artist who worked in bronze. Several of his pieces are featured on the foundation's web site.

It was about a month after his son's death that Thomas vowed to help others who suffer from depression. He started by forming the Todd Thomas Foundation.

To help run the new foundation, Thomas turned to Valley business leaders to join his board of directors. They include Bennett Dorrance, one of the partner-founders of DMB Associated; Jon Campbell, president of Wells Fargo Bank and Stephen Mittenthal, president and executive director of Arizona Community Foundation.

"My Goal for the foundation is to raise the awareness of just how prevalent mental illness is in our society," Thomas said. "The other goal is to be a support foundation and five the funds to organizations in the city here that are fighting mental illnesses."

Thomas pointed to literature that says one out of five people suffer from mental illness of some type.

The foundation's web site includes links to suicide prevention services. Soon it will offer a crisis line staffed by counselors.

Thomas said he will welcome calls from organizations offering counseling for mental health issues.

"This is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life," Thomas said