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Empowering Youth Athletic Communities to Promote Mental Well-Being and Suicide Prevention

About the MJR Foundation

Our lives were uprooted on May 29, 2017 when our son Miles died by suicide at the age of 15. Immediately after we lost Miles, we recognized the stigma behind mental health and death by suicide and were compelled that this would not be our story. Initially, we set-up a fund in Miles’ name with the University of Michigan Depression Center. This fund has helped to support the Peer to Peer Mentoring programs in middle school and high schools, focusing on supporting anxiety and depression awareness and outreach. In August of 2019, we started the Miles Jeffrey Roberts Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation with the mission of empowering youth athletic communities to promote mental well-being and suicide prevention.

MJRF Mental Health Champions Program

The MJRF Mental Health Champions are funded positions which lead impactful programming aimed at supporting High School student-athletes’ social and emotional mental health. We’re currently at Skyline and Pioneer High Schools with hope of continued expansion within Ann Arbor Public Schools. Our presentations consist of mental health components regarding empowerment towards education around basic mental health skill sets and suicide prevention.

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Team Presentations

Athletes Connected

Mental Health Referrals

"This was really helpful, helped me learn about signs, and how depression might not always be obvious."

"I think this is quite important program and should be around every AAPS school even middle school."

"I learned how to stay out of my own head and how to deal with stress and anxiety in a healthy way."

"I think it’s very powerful and very helpful to know we have a teacher to help us."

"I learned that there’s a lot more to depression such as inactivity and anxiety."

"I thought this was a very good presentation and I learned a lot from it. I’m also more aware on how to help myself and others."

"I learned that not everything is exactly black and white. There’s always a scale and complexity to things."

"It's okay to be vulnerable and to ask for help from others."

"I learned that it’s okay to talk about how you're feeling and that other people around me care no matter what I'm going through."

"It is hard to spot mental illness sometimes but it is important to search and treat, as well as take care of yourself."

"It’s more than okay to not be okay. When you’re not, speak up and don’t isolate yourself."

"I learned that depression can sort of be considered a brain injury and should be treated like you would treat any other injury."

"I learned that society has become way more progressive with mental health and that’s super awesome."

"I learned that mental health should be treated as physical health, like if you have an injury you should treat it and get help for it."

"I learned how important it is to make the effort to reach out to trusted people around you, and how big of a difference it can make."

"You don’t have to be sick to get better"

"It’s important to prioritize your mental health just as much as your physical health."

"I learned how to deal with negative thoughts better, and how to help friends who have negative thoughts as well."

Ray & Mary Knight Foundation

2024-2025 Charity Partners

The Miles Jeffrey Roberts Foundation is excited to announce that it has been selected as the Ray and Mary Knight Foundation’s charity recipient for 2024-2025. This partnership supports MJRF’s mission to promote mental well-being and suicide prevention in youth sports communities. All funds raised by the Knight Foundation this year, totaling over $75,000, will benefit MJRF’s Mental Health Champions Program at Skyline and Pioneer High Schools. This collaboration highlights the power of community in driving positive change and making a difference in the lives of Washtenaw County’s student-athletes. The Knight Foundation’s commitment to mental health and suicide prevention amplifies the impact of MJRF’s work, furthering their shared mission to support the community.

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