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Garrett’s Space
T

hree years ago, in 
September of 2017, 
I lost my brother, 
Garrett Halpert, to suicide. 
Throughout his short but 
impactful life, he was a 
dedicated brother, son, best 
friend, poet and listener. 
 Though he struggled fre-
quently with 
his own mental 
health, when 
you were with 
him, he always 
made you 
feel as if you 
were the most 
important per-
son in the world. 
Unfortunately, my broth-
er’
s death is not an anomaly. 
According to the Centers 
for Disease Control and 
Prevention, suicide is the 
second leading cause of 
death for youth and young 
adults in Michigan between 
the ages of 10 to 24. In the 
Ann Arbor and Detroit area 
alone, we have witnessed 
several young adults die by 
suicide over the course of the 
past three years — many of 

them young Jewish men, like 
my brother. The COVID-
19 pandemic and resulting 
isolating period of lockdown 
has reminded us once again 
of the importance of mental 
health support, and the dire 
consequences that occur 
when people cannot access 
this care. 
When someone struggles 
with alcohol addiction, there 
are welcoming spaces, such 
as rehabilitation centers, 
to seek recovery. But when 
someone struggles drasti-
cally with mental health, the 
options are often limited to 
outpatient therapy sessions, 
stints in the psychiatric 
emergency room or stays in 
prohibitively expensive long-
term residential facilities. 
After my brother’
s suicide, 
this gap in the mental health 
system became painfully 
clear to my parents, Julie 
and Scott Halpert. Together, 
they have founded Garrett’
s 
Space, a nonprofit dedicated 
to supporting young peo-
ple’
s mental health. They 
have also joined forces with 

the University of Michigan 
Depression Center and 
dozens of seasoned mental 
health professionals in the 
area who have recognized 
this same critical need for 
more expansive mental 
health support options for 
our young people. 
My parents’
 end goal for 
Garrett’
s Space is ambitious 
but essential: an affordable 
residential center dedicat-
ed to long-term in-patient 
recovery and support for 
young adults dealing with 
emotional challenges. The 
center will be set in nature, 
with a focus on holistic cop-
ing strategies, such as peer 
support, yoga, meditation 
and music, outlets that my 
brother found great solace in 
during his times of difficulty. 
It also will provide support 
to parents whose children 

are struggling and ways to 
cope with broken relation-
ships.
For the summer of 2020, a 
group of my brother’
s friends 
were planning an all-day, 
in-person outdoor fundraiser 
to help raise money for the 
center. When the original 
event had to be canceled 
due to the pandemic, one 
of my brother’
s closest and 
most beloved friends, Mario 
Sulaksana, stepped up. A 
musician himself, he came 
to my parents with an idea 
for a 24-hour online fund-
raiser with a variety of dif-
ferent performers, speakers 
and classes. In just under 
five weeks, I have been so 
impressed to see him realize 
this ambitious goal. 
On Sept. 4, at noon, 
we will begin a 24-hour 
live-stream event, 

Madeline 
Halpert

Garrett Halpert, of blessed memory.

MADELINE HALPERT

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