‘Transformative for kids and families’: $5 million donation to Children’s Behavioral Health

Two years ago, Gracelyn Glaser was in a mental health crisis.”I felt like I was in a fog all the time,” Gracelyn said. “I was having thoughts of ending my own life, and one day I decided to act on those thoughts.”Gracelyn survived a suicide attempt. She then started treatment at Children’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Center, where she learned an important lesson.”It doesn’t make me a broken person, it doesn’t mean I have to be fixed,” Gracelyn said.Now the center is expanding to help more kids like Gracelyn with a $5 million grant from the James M. Cox Foundation.”This donation is going to be transformative for kids and families. It’s bringing state-of-the-art technology into the building,” Renee Rafferty, senior vice president of Children’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Center, said.That includes an interactive wall for emotional regulation, along with other resources — all of them augmented with AI.”Part of the grant will be used for virtual reality therapy, which allows for kids to decrease stress and anxiety. They can practice coping skills, social skills,” Rafferty said.Gracelyn’s mom, Sara Glaser, says this money will help break down stigmas associated with mental health.”You guys are making mental health feel less scary, less out of reach for families, and you’re offering something our family was so desperately in need of, which was hope,” Sara said.The new building officially opens in January 2026.”I really hope that kids out there feel like they can talk,” Gracelyn said. “I want kids to be able to feel like they can go out and speak, because they shouldn’t be trapped in their own minds.”