24 | AUGUST 19 • 2021 

 COURTESY OF MADELINE HALPERT

OUR COMMUNITY

T

he number of young 
people lost to suicide 
continues to rise, and 
many continue to struggle. 
There simply aren’t enough 
effective support options for 
this population. Garrett’s Space 
aims to fill that gap.
Garrett’s Space, a suicide 
prevention nonprofit founded 
by Julie and Scott Halpert of 
Ann Arbor after they lost their 
precious son to suicide at age 
23 in 2017, will be holding a 
24-hour livestream fundraiser 
beginning at 11 a.m. Sept. 3 and 
ending at 11 a.m. Sept. 4 called 
Go24forGarrett’sSpace.
Mental health issues are 
widespread among young peo-
ple. A CDC survey of young 
adults ages 18-24 during the 
pandemic showed that 25% of 
them had seriously considered 
suicide during the prior 30 days.
Garrett’s Space is raising 
money in support of its well-
ness program and to establish a 
holistically focused residential 
center for young adults strug-
gling with significant mental 
health issues. 
With the University of 
Michigan Depression Center as 
its partner, Garrett’s Space plans 
to make its programming and 
residential center models that 
can be replicated nationwide.
The 24-hour livestream will 
be filled with musical per-
formances, talks from inspi-
rational speakers, and yoga, 
fitness and meditation classes. 
There will be a roster of highly 
accomplished Broadway and 
television performers, including 
Robert Ariza, a cast member 
of Hamilton, Jo Ellen Pellman, 
star of The Prom; Joe Serafini 

of Disney’s High School Musical; 
Oscar, Grammy, Tony and 
Golden Globe Award-winning 
songwriter Benj Pasek; Ashley 
Park, a star of Emily in Paris, and 
DeMarius Copes and Danny 
Pino of the upcoming Dear Evan 
Hansen film.
Andy Lassner, executive 
producer of The Ellen DeGeneres 
show; David Axelrod, senior 
CNN political commentator; 
U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow 
from Michigan; U.S. Rep. Jamie 
Raskin of Maryland; and Abdul 
El-Sayed, a podcast host, physi-
cian and former health director 
in the city of Detroit, will speak. 
 
RESTORING HOPE 
Julie and Scott witnessed first-
hand the critical gaps in support 
in our healthcare system for 
struggling young adults who 
need something more than reg-
ular visits to their therapist but 
aren’t actively suicidal.
 The Halperts are laser-fo-
cused on creating a holistically 
focused residential center that 
will be a haven for struggling 
young adults, where they can 
feel safe and supported and 
establish critical connections. 

They believe this type of place 
might have helped restore 
hope for their son, Garrett, 
and, more importantly, that he 
would have wanted to go to 
this type of welcoming refuge. 
The Halperts are convinced 
the center will benefit many 
young adults who are feeling 
inadequate or are having dif-
ficulty navigating the compli-
cated and troubled world. 
The center would include 
the following types of support 
and activities: individual and 
group therapy; coping strategies 
for difficult and broken rela-
tionships; peer-to-peer groups; 
support for families; and an 
extensive array of holistic activi-
ties focused on teaching healthy 
behaviors and promoting 
wellness, including meditation, 
yoga, healthy cooking, art, jour-
naling and music.
The center will have a 
non-medical feel; it will be 
located in a place surround-
ed by nature, amid tranquil 
woods with walking paths and 
therapeutic pets. The residents 
will be embraced by a warm 
community of caring staff — 
primarily social workers, with a 
medical director.
Garrett’s Space currently 
is providing a much-needed 
support option to struggling 
young adults through its 
wellness group, where young 
adults are gathering (currently 
virtually) three days each week 
for a support group with their 
peers, a mood and movement 
activity and an informal session 
to connect over icebreakers and 
games.
Head to www.garrettsspace.
org to join and donate. 

Suicide Prevention Group Plans 
Star-Studded Virtual Fundraiser

JN STAFF

Garrett 
Halpert, 
of blessed 
memory.

Applly for Teen 
Israel Leadership 
Training Program

Applications are due Sept. 5 for 
the Center for Israel Education’s 
(CIS) next virtual Teen Israel 
Leadership Institute (TILI), to 
be held at noon on successive 
Sundays, Sept. 19 and 26.
TILI’s interactive presentations 
enhance 15-18-year-olds’ under-
standing of Israel, its complexity 
and its role in Jewish identity. 
TILI participants in-person and 
online the past three years have 
called the experience empower-
ing and said it provided confi-
dence in speaking about Israel.
CIE engages teens and adults 
with Israel learning through 
context and perspective. TILI 
focuses on teen interaction and 
engagement with the sources 
of Israel’s rich, complex past to 
deepen appreciation of Israel’s 
role in shaping Jewish identity. 
The program provides teens a 
variety of tools to understand 
contemporary events with 
nuance and to share their knowl-
edge with their communities. 
September’s teen institute is 
for 10th-12th-graders. Teens 
with any level of knowledge 
about Israel are welcome, but 
the most successful attendees 
are willing to engage with their 
peers and bring an open mind.
Participants who complete 
the program receive a CIE 
Teen Israel Leadership Institute 
Certificate in Israel Education.
The usual $54 registration has 
been waived, so participation is 
free. Applications are accepted 
on a rolling basis, and teens are 
encouraged to apply as soon 
as possible at centerforisraeled.
wufoo.com/forms/z17eul-
ny17aksgp.
For more information, visit 
israeled.org/teens, or contact 
CIE’s teen program manager, 
Michele Freesman, at michele.
freesman@israeled.org. 

