28 | OCTOBER 7 • 2021 

S

uicide is an epidemic 
of epic proportions 
that steals the people 
we love and devastates fami-
lies all over Detroit every day. 
In honor of Suicide 
Prevention Awareness Month, 
A Single Soul, a suicide pre-
vention and training program 
housed at Jewish Family 
Service of Metro Detroit; 
Black Family Development, 
a Detroit nonprofit dedicated 
to the health and wellbe-
ing of Black families; and 
L!FELeaders Inc., a youth 
leadership and career devel-
opment program, have come 
together to announce the 2021 
Reach for Hope Benefit. 
The Oct. 21 event at Cass 
Tech High School, co-chaired 
by Michigan Sen. Debbie 
Stabenow, will raise funds for 
free suicide prevention train-
ing in Detroit. 
The benefit will feature a 
performance of the critically 
acclaimed play Right Before 
I Go, written by Southfield 
native and Golden Girls and 
Gilmore Girls writer Stan 
Zimmerman, starring actor 

Hill Harper and directed by 
Emilio Rodriguez. 
The play brings to life the 
last words of those lost by 
suicide. This surprisingly light 
production invokes a raw and 
authentic approach to story-
telling to help broaden public 
perspective of suicide, elim-
inate the stigma associated 
with depression, and strength-
en the relationships between 
survivors and those struggling 
every day. 
“I am so honored that Amy 
Nederlander and Rabbi Dan 
Syme chose my play to raise 
money and awareness for 
such an important cause,” 
Zimmerman said. “This fits 
perfectly in with my personal 
mission, as I have been mov-
ing more toward marrying art 
and advocacy in my theater, 
film and TV work. It will be 
an especially emotional eve-
ning for me since I have not 
appeared on a Detroit stage 
since my days as a senior at 
Southfield High School.” 
The evening will include a 
message from Detroit native 
and Cass Tech grad Lily 

Tomlin and will be hosted by 
author and Fox2 anchor Lee 
Thomas. 
Every $10,000 raised 
will support Black Family 
Development and A Single 
Soul in their efforts to offer 
free suicide prevention train-
ing to the community. 
Each training helps both 
laypeople and professionals 
identify people who are at risk 
and learn how to effectively 
connect them to crucial sup-
port before it’s too late. 
“There are countless lives 
to be saved,” Rabbi Dan Syme, 
the retired rabbi of Temple 
Beth El and founder of A 
Single Soul, said. “In my 46 
years of work, this event is a 
powerful step in the direction 
of hope.” 
L!feLeaders is serving as the 
fiduciary for the 2021 Reach 
for Hope Benefit. Founder 
Amy Nederlander says we 
collectively cannot afford to 
ignore the issue of suicide 
and its impact on our youth 
any longer. “Suicide is the 
second leading cause of death 
amongst those ages 15-19,” 
Nederlander said. 
“The community needs to 
normalize the conversation 
of depression and suicidal 
thoughts so people can get 
help. L!FE Leaders youth (ages 
14-24) are part of this event 
because they want to be able 
to talk about this, and get help.
” 
Tickets for the 2021 Reach 
for Hope Benefit range from 
$10 to $100. Tickets can be 
purchased on The Reach for 
Hope Eventbrite page: 
tinyurl.com/b5kcvnkk. 
To learn more about spon-
sorship opportunities, contact 
Amy Nederlander via email at 
amynederlander@fueledbylife.
org. 

JN STAFF 
Hill Harper

Star 
Power

Actor Hill Harper 
joins the Oct. 21 
Reach For Hope 
Benefit to raise 
funds for suicide 
prevention training.

OUR COMMUNITY

This October, a Detroit-based, 
national organization serving 
transgender youth is offering 
the Trans Empowerment 
Month extravaganza of 
entertainment, workshops, 
networking, peer-support and 
more for transgender folks and 
their allies. The theme this year 
is “Be YOU.
” 
Amritha Venkataraman 
and Dakota Torolski (Human 
Rights Campaign), KidPower 
International, Dr. William 
M. Kuzon, Jr., Dr. Dan 
Shumer (Michigan Medicine), 
various college admissions 
representatives, spiritual leaders, 
poets, musical artists and many 
more will present topics critical 
to trans empowerment.
All content will be 
presented virtually. 
Presenting sponsors include 
Springmatter, PNC Bank, 
and the Bastian Foundation. 
Beaumont Health, Dickinson 
Wright, Consumers Energy, 
Cripps and Silver Law, and 
PridePalace, among others. 
More than half of trans youth 
have attempted or seriously 
contemplated suicide. A major 
cause is a lack of support from 
family and community. 
The content will be geared 
to young gender diverse 
children through adults 
depending on the subject 
matter. All sessions require 
registration. Youth may attend 
at no charge. 
There is a fee for adults; 
one fee = all sessions. Register 
at trans-empowerment-
month-2021.heysummit.com.
For information, contact Roz 
at roz@standwithtrans.org or 
go to www.standwithtrans.org/
beyou. 

Stand with Trans 
Monthlong Event 

