New York teen starts nonprofit for suicide prevention through basketball tournaments: 'Wanted to help'

Harold Teller, 14, launched Harold's Hoops for Hope, which has raised thousands of dollars for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. Along with his mother, the teen joins Fox News Digital to share what motivated his mission.

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

A teen from Long Island, New York, has turned his hobby into a greater effort to give back to others.

Harold Teller, age 14, created a nonprofit called Harold’s Hoops for Hope to raise money and awareness for suicide prevention through basketball tournaments.

In an on-camera interview, Fox News Digital spoke with Teller, an incoming freshman at Commack High School, about how his organization began. (See the video at the top of this article.)

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The teen said that after the coronavirus pandemic, he noticed how kids his age were impacted mentally.

"I knew a bunch of people who struggled with mental health," he said. "And I wanted to help them the best that I could."

During the pandemic, teenager Harold Teller — shown at left and right with some of his teammates — said he would play a basketball game called "HORSE" on video calls with friends to "connect" with them and "make them feel better" if they were struggling. It helped boost everyone’s mood, he said. Teller is pictured above between two friends.  (Harold Teller)

During the pandemic, Teller said he would play a basketball game called "HORSE" through video calls with friends to "connect" with them and "make them feel better" if they were struggling.

Playing this game, even virtually, helped to