Contributed by: Kim Pita, MHC Board Chair
When musician Kenny Mercer was performing on the Vans Warped Tour, he met many activists raising awareness about a variety of causes. The activism he witnessed across the country inspired him to become a mental health advocate right here in Connecticut.
Mercer learned about Mental Health Connecticut (MHC) through online research and when he personally reached out to the organization, he liked what he heard. “The organization is delivering positive learning experiences for their program participants. And the fact it was founded in the early 1900s was fascinating to me,” he said.
After retiring from his solo career as a hip-hop artist, Mercer founded Full Blast Booking (@FullBlastBooking), where he aligns musicians and bands with opportunities in venues across the Northeast. In May 2019, after losing a musician friend to suicide, he knew he needed to do more to generate mental health awareness.
Since September 2019, Mercer (pictured left) has been organizing Tour for Life (#tourforlife), a four-day music tour featuring well-known headliners soon to be announced. During the tour, Mercer is committed to raising funds to support MHC’s educational programs, like Mending Art, GROW, and Write On!, as well as community webinars.
“MHC really helped to set this tour in motion. We will have wellness counselors at the events, as well as fun activities for attendees,” he said. “I have been affected by mental health my whole life through family, friends and relationships. I was meant to do this. It has become my calling. Everything has really come together.”
Tour for Life dates are August 27 in Brooklyn, NY; August 28 in Worcester, MA; August 29 in Providence, RI and August 30 in New Haven, CT. Mercer is hopeful these venues will be ready and open for large gatherings by then. He expects to announce the headline acts before the end of May.
“I know we will bounce back from what we’ve been through,” said Mercer, reflecting on how COVID-19 has already impacted people individually in profound ways. “Music events will be better than ever. We really don’t know what we’ve got until it’s gone. I hope to see a surge in live shows when the time is right.”
Kim Pita, Board Chair of Mental Health Connecticut, is the author of the memoir, Split Endz: A Tale of 2 Crazy Sisters, and serves as the Executive Director of New England FIRST, a robotics organization that delivers programs, events and competitions to K-12 students across six states.
We at MHC are grateful for the dedication and support from fundraisers like Kenny. If this story has inspired you to become a fundraiser too, you can join us by creating one of your own and help us reach our goal of raising $31,000 in 31 days at www.mhconn.org/31days.
