Halston’s Hope Foundation
PURPOSE: We exist to help reduce youth suicides
To inspire strength in young adults, HHF works with school-based counselors and therapists to provide animal-assisted therapy. HHF has partnered with therapists who use animals in their therapy model throughout the Denver metro area. Based on a referral from a school counselor or therapist, HHF pays for therapy sessions.
HF also offers scholarship assistance for those who seek to be in the animal assisted industry. Working with accredited educational institutions students can apply for academic scholarships for use in an academic degree-granting program in a trade school, community college, university, or an online degree program.
VISION: A world without youth suicide
HHF envisions a world in which young people can maximize their potential without the societal pressure
and mental health issues that so often result in the tragic loss of life. Through its animal-assisted therapy
and scholarship programs, HHF wants to help reduce youth suicides in Colorado by 2030. As part of this
vision, HHF also seeks to lessen the stigma around mental illness and to raise awareness of youth mental
health issues and their impact on families.
On March 28, 2019, our world was forever changed. Our 28-year-old daughter, Halston, took her own life. Although Halston suffered from occasional bouts of anxiety and depression, she was a happy young woman with a beautiful soul who always put others first. Everyone who met Halston loved her and her genuine heart. If you had the opportunity to know Halston, you know how she made everybody feel like somebody. Halston had a distinctive sense of humor; one of her goals was to try stand-up comedy but her anxiety kept her from doing so. She had a quick wit and loved making people laugh! Whether it was her spontaneous rap “flows”, wearing costumes on the ski slopes, disguising herself as T-Rex while twerking & stopping traffic, covering herself with a white sheet and roaming the halls of the infamous & "haunted" Stanley Hotel, the countless videos of "talking dogs” that she created during her pet-sitting, or her unpremeditated songs & silly dance moves - Halston drew deep belly laughs!
We miss our precious daughter immensely; our hearts will always be broken. But even a broken heart has much to give! In our healing journey, we have chosen to not let grief, sadness, and anger envelop us. We feel incredibly blessed that God chose us to be her family. Being that Halston was an avid animal lover, we wish to keep her spirit alive by offering animal-assisted therapy and/or scholarships to those who seek to be in the animal service industry and who have a genuine heart for those who struggle with the social and emotional issues that young people face today.
Please visit their website for more information and to help support their mission.