May 2025 Newsletter
As we celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month, we're reminded that small, consistent actions—like a daily breath practice or monthly support from our community—create the foundation for lasting change and healing. This month brings more meaningful developments that strengthen our ability to support young adults on their mental health journeys.
We're excited to introduce the Cardinal Circle, our new monthly giving society, and welcome Evan Ufer to our Board of Directors. We're also sharing a gentle five-minute breath and movement practice that reflects the wellness activities our participants experience in groups—offering you a moment of calm and a glimpse into our holistic approach.
The Cardinal Circle
The cardinals in our logo symbolize connection and hope, honoring the feelings of renewal that we aim to create for young people in our community.
It's with this spirit of connection that we're thrilled to announce the launch of the Garrett's Space Cardinal Circle, our new monthly giving society for dedicated supporters who want to make a sustained impact on young adult mental health.
The Cardinal Circle offers a meaningful way to provide ongoing support as we enter an exciting new chapter. We've recently broken ground on our residential campus and welcomed Executive Director Dave Garcia to lead us through our next phase of growth and development.
Special Matching Opportunity: Now through June 14th, all new monthly gifts will be matched dollar for dollar each month for a full year!
This means your $10 monthly gift becomes $20, your $25 becomes $50, and your $50 becomes $100—doubling your impact for young adults in our community.
As a founding Cardinal Circle member, you'll receive exclusive updates, annual tax statements, opportunities to tour our property, recognition in the future home of Garrett's Space and more.
Join us today at garrettsspace.org/monthly! Together, we can bring hope to life—every day, every month, and every year.
Breath & Movement Wellness Practice
In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, we're excited to share a short five-minute breath and movement practice that reflects the kind of exercises you might experience in our wellness groups.
At Garrett's Space, we understand that connecting breath, mind, and body is essential for overall well-being.
This accessible exercise can be done either sitting or standing, making it available to everyone regardless of mobility or comfort level.
The combination of intentional breathing with gentle movement is an evidence-informed approach that many of our participants find helpful when navigating difficult emotions.
Even simple practices become practical tools that young adults can incorporate into their daily lives as coping strategies.
Whether you're a young adult looking for support, someone who cares about a young person facing mental health challenges, or a community member interested in our approach, we invite you to try this gentle practice with us.
Remember, there's no "right way" to participate. Simply showing up and connecting with your breath is enough. We hope this brief experience offers you a moment of calm and connection during Mental Health Awareness Month and beyond.
Meet Our Newest Board Member!
We are thrilled to welcome Evan Ufer to our board! As Founder of HiLand Capital and a veteran of private equity with nearly 20 years of experience, Evan brings crucial business development expertise to our board and is helping strengthen Garrett's Space during an exciting time of growth!
Q: What made you want to become involved as a board member at Garrett's Space?
At the core, it was the mental health focus, an area I'm passionate about. I was invited by a friend to attend the annual fundraiser and was genuinely overwhelmed by the mission. I was moved by how Scott and Julie, who live just down the street from me, transformed their overwhelming grief into something so special, meaningful and impactful. The gap in care between weekly therapy sessions and inpatient treatment is real and affects many people, increasingly more every day. I've experienced that gap, and I hadn't encountered an organization addressing it in such a unique, replicable way for other communities.
I reached back out to Scott a couple months later to get to know him better and understand what the organization needed and how I could be helpful. One thing led to another in a really cool and fun way, because it's what I do for a living—helping companies grow and sustain and prosper.
Julie, Scott, and the Garrett’s Space team are just wonderful, and their passion for it really struck a chord. Despite the fact that it's a nonprofit, at its core it needs to be sustainable and grow in order to serve its population.
Q: What excites you about Garrett's Space's approach to mental health?
I think it's super unique. It's really human centric and focused on creating a safe and supportive space outside of the traditional clinical settings. It feels like a needed thing, especially today.
What’s novel is the fact that it can be alongside traditional outpatient therapy and that it can work in conjunction with traditional inpatient needs, when necessary— but that it's a complement to the existing infrastructure in such a positive, exponential way. Because of that, it can change a lot of people's lives and their trajectory. Hopefully, fewer and fewer people have to deal with the grief and the circumstances that come about when these needs are not met.
The peer connection aspect is also key. Loneliness is such a part of this. The ability to be around peers that are building a community of people experiencing similar things is really hard to find in the existing settings.
The site is particularly incredible. The residential campus setting on that beautiful piece of property, with that beautiful home, and the recent groundbreaking —and the fact that the capital campaign is not only launched, but well along—it's a really unique time for the organization and an exciting time to be involved.
Lastly, the ability to replicate this and scale it to communities beyond Ann Arbor and beyond Southeast Michigan is key. You could see one of these in most major metro areas, creating a new model that's hopefully part of a really positive change.
Q: What do you like to do when you're not working or attending board meetings?
I'm a dad of two girls, which keeps me pretty busy! We love traveling, playing cards, attending concerts, and taking care of our expanding set of pets. Both my daughters play field hockey, so we do a lot of traveling for their sports. My career provides the flexibility to help organizations like Garrett's Space, where I can combine interests that are fun and rewarding with purposeful work. I look for companies and organizations driving positive social, environmental, or community change. Mixing family, fun, and mission alignment has become an increasingly important part of my life across work, recreation, and community engagement.
Did You Know?
Did you know that talking openly about suicide doesn't increase someone's risk? Research shows the opposite—asking someone directly if they're having thoughts of suicide is actually more likely to save a life.
During this Mental Health Awareness Month, let's normalize the conversations that save lives. At Garrett's Space, we believe authentic connection begins with honest conversation. When we openly discuss mental health struggles, we create communities where young adults feel genuinely safe seeking the support they deserve. When someone trusts you enough to share, listen with empathy, validate their experience, and thank them for their courage in opening up.
To get help for you or someone else at Garrett's Space, please contact Peggy Galimberti (peggy@garrettsspace.org or 734-212-6890) or visit our website to learn more.
If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide or having a mental health crisis, please call or text 988 to get in touch with a trained counselor from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline Network or go to your nearest Emergency room.
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Save the date for our sixth annual Go4GarrettsSpace fundraiser!
Go4GarrettsSpace 2025 will be an evening of celebration and hope, raising vital funds to build Garrett's Space and expand our evidence-informed programming that's already supporting young adults through weekly wellness groups and peer connection. Together, we're building something transformational for young adults in our community!
Want to get involved? Consider sponsoring the event or donating goods/services to our silent auction!
How You Can Help
Thank you for your generous contributions to our efforts! Your support helps us offer free wellness groups and monthly in-person gatherings while we work towards realizing our vision of creating a residential space for young adults in need. We are excited to continue this journey together and are grateful for your ongoing commitment! Here’s how you can stay involved:
Volunteer: Join our dedicated team of volunteers to support events or help with tasks that keep our mission moving forward. To learn more contact info@garrettsspace.org.
Donate: Your generous contribution directly supports our programs, offering hope and healing to young adults facing mental health challenges. Every donation, no matter the size, makes an impact. Donate at our website or become a member of the Cardinal Circle.
Spread the Word: Follow us on Instagram and Facebook. And share our mission with your network to help raise awareness and grow our community of support.