Sparking the Conversation

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

Two 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 sold the hats around the 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.”

Jared Brecher

Jared Brecher and Jonah Stone 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 Jonah conversation.” 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

stories to hundreds of people in the audience, knowing I played a role in getting these conversations out there really meant a lot to me,” Stone said.

Even after leaving for college, UMatter’s mission never left Stone’s mind. Brecher and Stone’s donation will help UMatter programming continue impacting teens in the community.

“Jonah found a remarkable way to continue supporting UMatter’s programming and mission after high school,” said Friendship Circle Teen Director Rabbi Yarden Blumstein.

“Mental health challenges are a major concern for college students. Jared and Jonah took UMatter’s mission on a college framework and started that important conversation on campus.”

The money raised will help many kids in need of counseling and emotional support.

Even though Brecher doesn’t struggle with mental health, he realized that many of his fraternity brothers do when living in the AEPi house this past school year (2020-21).

“At one point or another we’ve all hit an emotional wall, and the hats are a way of telling people they aren’t alone,” Brecher said. “So many of my friends have said that therapy has been great for their psyche.”

In Brecher’s experiences, “people don’t talk about [mental health] enough, and quarantine forced people to spend much more time with their thoughts than they were prepared.

“I spent so much time with these guys that they just felt comfortable to open up at a certain point,” he added. “I’d say some of the most honest and meaningful conversations of my life came from my brothers when we lived in the house.”

Rabbi Yarden Blumstein

To support the cause, or for information about the UMatter program powered by the Andrew Kukes Foundation for Social Anxiety or Friendship Circle, call (248) 788-7878. If you or anyone else is thinking about suicide, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 998 or call 1-800-273-8255.

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Jewish Family Service Receives Grants from Zuckerman Klein Foundation

Jewish Family Service received two grants from the Zuckerman Klein Family Support Foundation, a part of the United Jewish Federation.

The Foundation has awarded JFS $100,000 to improve the quality of life of Holocaust survivors, leveraging funding from the Claims Conference Inc. and the Jewish Federations of North America to support services such as emergency financial assistance, home care and food assistance, as well as programming that addresses the issue of social isolation. This programming includes support groups, cognitive training, and connection to and training in technology such as iPads and Uniper, a telehealth and social engagement company that offers older adults access to social groups and wellness programming.

“We are honored to be a recipient of this funding,” says Yuliya Gaydayenko, JFS Chief Program Officer, Older Adult Services. “This grant enhances our ability to serve Holocaust survivors while also serving as a match for other funding sources, leveraging millions of dollars in funding for our community’s most vulnerable members.

The Foundation also awarded JFS with $65,000 toward school social workers. These JFS employees are based in area day schools to support students, parents and school staff.

“In response to COVID, JFS increased the presence of our social workers in area day schools,” says Dini Peterson, JFS Chief Program Officer, Family and Community Services. “This grant from the Zuckerman Klein Family Support Foundation allows us to provide a higher level of support for students, especially in the areas of social skills, behavioral challenges, depression and anxiety. We’re looking forward to supporting students, parents and teachers for the coming school year.”

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