Fall 2023 Newsletter
It’s been a very busy summer at Garrett’s Space! From acquiring our new property to the continued progress of our wellness groups, to fundraisers, we are thrilled about all the positive developments.
GARRETT'S SPACE ACQUIRES PROPERTY
We are beyond excited that Garrett’s Space is now the proud owner of a beautiful house and 76 acres at 3900 North Dixboro Road, which will be the home of our future residential center. You can get a peek at the property in this video. We believe it will be the perfect, healing setting for our participants. We plan to operate our Wellness Programming out of the existing house by early next year. Construction of both the residential center and creativity studio will be completed in 2026, and the residential program will begin in 2027. It is disappointing that the small group of township residents who opposed having Garrett’s Space at this location continue to fight it and are suing the township. We are in the process of intervening in the lawsuit. If you are interested in donating to help cover our legal costs, you can do so at this link.
WELLNESS PROGRAMMING CONTINUES TO GROW
While we work on creating our center, we are already helping many young adults who are struggling with depression and anxiety through our Wellness Program. Currently we host three weekly groups for young adults ages 18-28 struggling with depression, anxiety, and suicidality, as a supplement to individual therapy and psychiatric intervention. Group participants meet virtually with professional facilitators for peer connection, and mood and movement activities. The number of participants in our programming is at an all-time high, with 28 currently enrolled, and referrals are up 67% from this time last year. We plan to add a fourth group in the near future.
Group participants have told us that Garrett’s Space helps them to realize they are not alone in their struggles and they’ve formed an amazing community of support, guided by our incredible team of facilitators. This sense of connection has been bolstered significantly with the addition of monthly in person gatherings. The groups and gatherings are offered free of charge to all participants. We can’t wait to move the Wellness Programming to our new home on Dixboro Road as soon as possible.
Go4GARRETT'S SPACE 2023 A ROUSING SUCCESS
Nearly 200 people turned out amidst a storm that left many without power for our first in person fundraiser at Washtenaw Community College’s Morris Lawrence Building on August 28th. We were relieved to learn that WCC had a backup generator, since the college was among the thousands left without power. Everyone clearly enjoyed the evening’s inspirational speeches and incredible performances, as well as wellness classes.
At the event, co-founders Julie and Scott Halpert honored Ellie Serras with the first Spirit of Garrett award. Ellie has told us that providing her property for Garrett’s Space has given her a new sense of purpose and meaning in life. She has become a tireless advocate for us. She exercised endless patience through the rezoning application process and spoke at many of the hearings. Ellie embodies all the qualities of our son and is good, kind, and compassionate. We feel blessed to have Ellie as our dear friend and critical partner in achieving our vision and look forward to her continual involvement.
We were thrilled to exceed our fundraising goal of $200,000, raising a total of $233,000, due to generous support from our community of sponsors and our online auction. Click here to see sponsors and auction donors. If you missed it, you can catch the entire livestream here. We’ll also be posting a highlight reel soon.
Save the date NOW for Go4Garretts Space 2024: Saturday, August 24!
We greatly appreciate WCC hosting us again next year.
Linh Song, Stephen Postema and Rep. Debbie Dingell.
UM Musical Theater Students perform Seasons of Love from "Rent"
Ellie Seras, Scott Halpert and Julie Halpert.
KnightFest DRAWS 223 ATTENDEES
We are so grateful to the Ray & Mary Knight Foundation for selecting Garrett’s Space for a second year to be the beneficiary of the KnightFest. Attendees were undaunted by the torrential rains – a recurrent theme this summer – that pounded the tent outside, enjoying Knight’s trademark cocktails and delicious food, and dancing to the amazing band well into the night. The KnightFest, along with a raffle and the 2023 Golf Outing, raised approximately $100,000 for Garrett’s Space for the second consecutive year!
OUR YOUNG ADULTS NEED YOU!
Our vision is ambitious and will require significant investment from the community! Will you join us? To make a donation and learn more about our work to support young adults, visit our website or email us with questions. We would love to tell you more! Thank you for helping us turn the tide on suicides!