OUR COMMUNITY
Brecher and Stone’s hat for suicide awareness reads in white letters “Your story isn’t over” on the black baseball cap’s front logo.
Sparking the Conversation Two Michigan AEPi fraternity members spark conversation with hats for suicide awareness.
BRIAN GOLDSMITH SPECIAL TO THE JN
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wo University of Michigan students from Alpha Epsilon Pi found a creative way to raise funds and awareness for mental health challenges on campus. By selling customized hats, the pair raised nearly $1,000 for Friendship Circle’s UMatter. “Your story isn’t over,” states the front of the cap. On the side, it reads “National Suicide Awareness Month” with a hotline number. For someone struggling with thoughts of suicide, this powerful statement could be the sign they need to seek help. Jared Brecher and Jonah Stone launched the initiative out of their fraternity and Jared sold the hats around the Brecher
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Jared Brecher and Jonah Stone
University of Michigan campus over the past year. Through partnerships with AEPi chapters at neighboring schools like Michigan State, the hats reached a
wide audience. “It was a hard year, and everyone was in a weird headspace because of the pandemic,” Stone said. “Whether you related to it or not, it was an issue everyone could support.” The Michigan AEPi duo talked extensively about which cause would be best to support. They agreed on suicide awareness. According to the National Institutes of Health, 1 in 5 American adults live with mental illness as of 2019. Suicide took 47,500 American lives in 2019 and was the second leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 34 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Suicide is something that has impacted more of us than I would’ve thought,” Brecher said. “We felt it was our job to help.” Brecher said he was surprised and excited to find out so many people connected with the hats and their message. “The sororities were also extremely supportive, and about half our sales came from them,” said Brecher. “We never knew what impact there would be until we looked down one day and saw that we raised over $1,000.” LINK TO UMATTER Stone’s passion for mental health causes began in high school when he got involved with UMatter, a Friendship Circle initiative powered by the Andrew Kukes Foundation for Social Anxiety, that enables high schoolers to help their peers overcome stigmas and other obstacles related to mental health. “I saw that UMatter was a group that was actually making a difference,” Stone said. “It ignited a passion in me that kids my age were having that important conversation.” Jonah Stone While in the program, Stone took on the role of major events coordinator for UMatter’s One Thing I Wish You Knew. The annual event amplifies voices in the community and how their attempts to overcome challenges have often felt isolating and alienating. “Hearing the speakers telling their
