Fund to help teens set in memory of Rolling Hills Prep student

Rolling Hills Preparatory School officials on Friday announced they were establishing a fund in the memory of a student who took his own life Jan. 5.

The "Holding the Rope" fund will "provide resources to help students and their parents better deal with the stresses that come with being a teenager in the 21st Century," Head of School Peter McCormack said in a release.

The fund is in memory of Michael Garcia, the 17-year-old captain of the San Pedro school's football team. His death stunned his family and friends.

The "Hold the Rope" fund will provide resources for parents and students in need, a hotline for students, and training for faculty and advisers.

The fund gets its name from a speech Garcia gave in October that included the passage:

"Each and every one of us holds onto a rope...and we know that if just one of us lets go then we all go. If I am at the end of that rope...I trust that every one of my brothers will hold onto that rope and never let go, not until I am back on to solid ground with them safe and sound."

Checks can be sent to the Mike Garcia Memorial, in care of Crystal Angulo in the Development Office, Rolling Hills Prep, 1 Rolling Hills Prep Way, San Pedro, Calif. 90732.
Donations also can be made at the campus' website.

Michael's funeral was held Friday.