Support Jonathan Engbers' Journey to Healing and Education

This GoFundMe exists to raise money for medical bills and moving expenses. I am uprooting myself to pursue a Master’s Degree at the University of Arizona.

Hello, I am Jonathan Engbers. I have been teaching art and theater at various levels for the last 11 years. I thoroughly enjoy working with students, whether on their visual artwork or on a production. Although I love and enjoy my work, I have always been a restless spirit. As a result, I have worked in Puyallup, WA, Elkhart, IN, and Sheboygan, WI. Each school has had its strengths and weaknesses, but I truly thought that Sheboygan was going to be the place I would stay and put down roots.

I was diagnosed with Major Depression (Persistent Depressive Disorder) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder in 2016. My depression worsened over time, and I developed Suicidal Ideation and that's been the norm for about eight years. Each move that I have made has been with the goal of becoming better and putting myself in a new frame of mind. In May of 2024, I began to wonder if a larger change needed to happen. Maybe I needed to change more than my location; I needed to change what I was doing. After a lot of research, emails, Zoom calls, phone calls, and interviews, I decided to pursue a Master’s Degree related to Museums and Community Art. I applied to the University of Arizona and prayed that I would get in.

In January of this year, my Suicidal Ideation became more than what I could handle with my meds and regular doctor visits. I was in a very dark place and needed to get out of it. I went to the ER for a mental health evaluation, and it was decided that I should enter a more intensive program. I took time off from teaching and entered a Partial Hospitalization Program. I completed the program, and I am doing better than I was at the beginning. I’m not magically healed, but I do feel like I am going in the right direction. While in the PHP, I was accepted to the University of Arizona and committed to going. This means a new move and a huge change in my life. I do not have the means to just move on a dime. I need to pay off my medical bills from the PHP and complete a move to Arizona. All of the money will be going towards medical bills and moving expenses.

Any financial help would be appreciated.