I recently learned that the Patrick’s Purpose Foundation donated $50,000 to Hoag Hospital’s ASPIRE program. I have been familiar with Patrick’s Purpose since its creation and know that it was created to honor the legacy and character of Patrick Turner, who died of suicide in 2018. But I was not familiar with the ASPIRE program, a teen outreach mental health program and a quick review of the program’s website revealed shocking statistics. “In 2010, 30 percent of students in the Newport-Mesa school district reported drug abuse, 50 percent reported alcohol abuse, and the numbers have continued to rise. Suicide rates have doubled since 2010,” the website said. “In 2017, one of seven people in this age group experienced a major depressive episode according to a recent study. If you are a parent of a teen in Orange County today, you likely have your own story – direct or indirect – to underscore this unfortunate reality.” Deeply unsettled and wanting to learn more, I reached out to the program’s manager, Prerna Rao, a licensed marriage and family therapist.