Vanita Halliburton co-founded Grant Halliburton Foundation in 2006 after her son, Grant Halliburton, died by suicide following his battle with severe depression and bipolar disorder. When Grant was struggling, Vanita searched for resources and found little. Later, she resolved to provide critical mental health resources, so that other families wouldn’t have the same outcome as hers.
Grant Halliburton Foundation welcomed Nora McInerny, best-selling author, speaker and podcast host, to share her personal story at the Beacon of Hope at Home Virtual Luncheon on April 30. Presented by The David B. Miller Family Foundation, the luncheon supports Grant Halliburton Foundation’s work providing education, resources and support for children, teen and young adult mental health.
For Grant Halliburton Foundation, 2020 will be remembered as a year of resilience, something we teach to children and teens nearly every day. Resilience is all about continuing to move forward in the face of life’s hurdles. This year has been the ultimate test of resilience, and we’ve done our best to meet the challenges head-on.
Like all nonprofits this year, Grant Halliburton Foundation took to the drawing board to reimagine its signature fall fundraising event, The Hope Party. With the help of a dedicated event committee and the generous support of so many sponsors and donors, The Hope Party at Home—an elevated live virtual party—was a resounding success.
Summer is almost over! Can you believe it? While I'm not as in touch with my calendar as I normally am, the business of my daily life sure has changed. For that reason, I’m thankful to have Coffee Days circled on my calendar with our virtual gatherings on Zoom three times each month.
I never thought I would find myself writing this blog post, but here I am saying farewell to an organization that welcomed me with open arms almost two years ago. This group of talented people has become my second family. While there’s a new adventure to look forward to, you know you really enjoyed your job when you feel bittersweet about leaving. Before I part though, I want to share some details you didn’t know about me when I started.
When I was assigned this blog post, I was filled with uncertainty about an appropriate topic to write about. The state of the coronavirus seems to change by the hour, and who knows what the coming months will bring. One of my ideas was to write about emerging heroes across our community. Then I realized that heroes are all around us, doing their part, large and small, to help us through this hard time. Choosing which heroes to write about would be difficult.
Black people are facing two pandemics: COVID-19 and racism. It’s no secret that life in the U.S. is unjust for the Black community. With each passing day, we see another headline about Black people dying from COVID-19 at three times the rate of white people, and more videos where Black people are being discriminated against, targeted by police, and killed. How is this affecting the mental health of the Black community?
This morning, I awoke to my 21-month-old slapping a used Band-Aid gently on my face. Ah, a new day. What does coping look like as a parent of small children right now? For me, it looks like lowering my expectations (especially of myself), tuning in to what each member of my family needs, and claiming time for myself.
Imagine you’re a 15-year-old transgender teen. You only recently began to feel comfortable at school, getting called by your chosen name and pronouns, and dressing the way that affirms your gender. Your parents have a hard time understanding your identity. This makes home feel like a place where you aren’t allowed to be your true self.
On page 240 of my high school yearbook from my senior year, you can find me featured on the superlatives page. My best friend and I were featured as “best bromance.” Alec and I have been best friends since as long as I could remember. Alec and I grew up in the same neighborhood and went to the same Jewish day school. We then went to the same preschool and stayed at the same school until we both graduated last summer.
