Ava's Hope Squad

Hope Squad is an organization that helps high schools have the tools for suicide prevention and mental health education. Our goal is to help fund this program for Whitehall High School, and plant new Hope Squads in all surrounding area schools, in honor of Ava VanderStelt. Our first goal is $6000 because that is the cost for each new Hope Squad at each school, and any additional funds will continue to go towards the next new Hope Squad. (Scroll to the bottom to read more about Hope Squad)

 

As her parents, we are devastated at the loss of our fierce, amazing daughter, and we want to help all parents that we can never to have to go through this tragic event. Ava was such an incredible powerhouse in school, sports, family, friends, animals and her faith in God. We hope to share her story and our experience working our way through this to empower parents, teachers, and students and create a healthy environment for open conversations about mental health. As parents, our pain is very real and runs so deep with the loss of our sweet Ava, but also, as parents, we realize that this tragedy has touched the hearts of so many families we want to help all of us heal together. This community has surrounded us with great love; we are so thankful and humbled by all of this. The blessing and prayers that have been poured upon us have given us the strength to continue moving forward and staying strong for our surviving children. We want to build Ava's Hope Squad to breathe our love back into this community and make sure that the memories of Ava will stay alive and well within all who she touched. We appreciate all the help we have been given and hope that we can give as much help back as possible. Thank you.

 

*Hope Squad (click here) is an evidence-based program currently in over 1200+ schools. Hope Squad Whitehall is the first one in the state of Michigan, and our goal is to bring it to as many schools in our state as possible. Hope Squad provides training and tools for students (who are nominated by their peers) and faculty to help reduce youth suicide through education, training, and peer intervention.

** WE ARE SO AMAZED AT HOW FAST OUR HOPE FUND IS GROWING!  The first goal has been met by just 54 donations! Wow!  Thank you so much for your generosity! It takes 6,000$ to plant a new Hope Squad at a school for the first 4 years, goal met for the first school! Our hope is to plant as many squads as we can in the area. We have enough for one now so let's work on the second one.  Thank you so very much for your support.