Nearly 100 supporters gathered at Komfort Kocktails in Valley Stream on July 2 from 7 to 11 p.m. for a fundraiser to expand access to mental health services for those facing financial barriers to care.
Adjust Upward Community Development Corporation and Help to Adjust Counseling hosted the event, which had a $60 admission fee. All proceeds benefited Adjust Upward, a Valley Stream-based nonprofit founded about a year ago by licensed mental health counselor Don Sinkfield.
The funds will be used to help cover the cost of mental health and anger management services, subsidize counseling expenses for those who cannot afford treatment, and support the organization’s community programming.
The idea for the fundraiser came after Sinkfield connected with Komfort Kocktails’ owner Kim Champion and shared the nonprofit’s mission. Champion offered the venue at no charge, provided attendees purchase at least one drink, allowing more of the event’s proceeds to go directly toward the nonprofit’s work.
The evening served as both a fundraiser and an opportunity to introduce more residents to the organization’s mission. Organizers shared information about the nonprofit and how donations will help increase access to mental health care throughout Valley Stream, southeast Queens and surrounding communities.
“I hope that people understand that mental health access is what I believe is an important equity issue of this time,” Sinkfield said. “I truly believe that if Dr. King were around in 2026, one of the issues that he’d be talking about would be access to mental health.”
Adjust Upward was established to address the costs associated with mental health treatment — one of the biggest obstacles preventing people from receiving the necessary care. While the nonprofit does not provide counseling services itself, it raises money to support individuals seeking treatment and develops community programs focused on mental wellness.
Sinkfield has witnessed that even families with health insurance can struggle to afford weekly expenses. Those costs can become even more difficult when multiple members of the same household need services.
“Often insurance companies have very detailed agreements that exclude people from access to mental health because they have to get pre-authorization for a certain provider, or they have to expect to pay sometimes a high deductible before their services will be covered, or for the copays, which are sometimes high,” Sinkfield said. “Making mental health accessible is important to us, and we believe that we’re on the right side of history to make this effort.”
The nonprofit works closely with Help to Adjust, a separate community-based counseling center in Valley Stream. Because Help to Adjust is often the first point of contact for people seeking counseling, the nonprofit can provide financial assistance to clients who might otherwise be unable to continue treatment.
For Felicia Hunt, operations supervisor at Help to Adjust, financial concerns are only one of the barriers keeping people from seeking care. Many people also avoid counseling because of the stigma surrounding mental health or concerns about receiving a diagnosis.
“My favorite word is ‘psychoeducation,’” Hunt said. “It is when we teach people about mental health and about what they are experiencing. It’s not necessarily providing counseling or advice, but it is just telling them, if you feel sad, it could be regular sadness, situational sadness or it could be a sign of depression, and what to look for. And even giving them that information can stabilize people long enough to be able to seek deeper intervention.”
Help To Adjust provides counseling for individuals, families, couples, children and adolescents, as well as grief and relationship counseling, crisis intervention and anger management services. The practice serves residents of all ages but has developed a specialty in anger management, including working with clients ordered by the courts to complete counseling.
Adjust Upward complements those efforts by organizing community programming and support groups. One of its primary initiatives is a monthly men’s wellness group at an Emblem Health location in Cambria Heights, where participants gather to discuss challenges, support one another and build relationships.
Yusuf Clarke is a social-emotional learning specialist with Adjust Upward who also works at Help to Adjust, offering therapeutic services and restorative justice programming in New York City schools. Through that work, he provides counseling, facilitates restorative circles, and trains school administrators and employees in restorative practices.
“While the fundraising is important, I get that, but the key word is the community piece,” Clarke said. “If they don’t know we’re here, they won’t know this is a service they might need. And so, it is our responsibility to make sure that they know that we are here and part of the community.”
Organizers said they hope attendees left the fundraiser with a greater understanding that seeking mental health care is a sign of strength and that improving access to treatment is a community issue. They also hope the event will encourage additional partnerships and community support for the nonprofit’s work.
Sinkfield expressed hope that Adjust Upward will expand beyond its current programming by increasing the number of families it assists with treatment costs, offering community events more frequently and building additional partnerships and sponsorships.
Clarke said he also hopes to see the nonprofit eventually develop programming for adolescents, allowing young people to receive support earlier before transitioning into adult programming.
