Help=Hope Benefit Concert, mark your calendars!
Linnea Olson who is an awesome youth council member chose to incorporate her senior project with youth suicide prevention by putting together a benefit concert! What a great idea! Here are the details:
HELP=HOPE: A Night of Fine Arts for Suicide Prevention
When: Saturday, May 8 @ 5 p.m.
Where: Trinity Parish Episcopal Church in downtown Seattle (corner of 8th & James)
The event is FREE but donations will be accepted and greatly appreciated. There will also be a bake sale after the concert to help raise money as well.
I asked Linnea a couple of questions about her event and what it was like putting it together and promoting suicide prevention.
Who can we expect to see?
There are a variety of student performers from 7th grade to college who are singing, playing instruments, and doing spoken word. RA Scion (of Common Market and Victor Shade) is performing which is really great. There are some Ballard High School students, girls from Northwest Girlchoir and some other students doing other stuff from different high schools from around Seattle. Most people want to perform to help this cause and want to express feelings about it.
What are you hoping for in terms of an outcome?
As an outcome, I'm honestly hoping for as many people from students to adults to attend. It’s a benefit concert so we’re hoping to raise as much money as we can. However, it's not all about the money, it's about raising more awareness for this issue as well so the more kids and students, the better. It’s a great opportunity for everyone to be entertained and have a good time all for a good cause!
How did you come up with this?
I've always wanted to do an event like this. I've always imagined organizing and putting something together like this (bring out my inner bossiness, haha). I thought my senior project would be the perfect opportunity, and would really help me in the long run. The main thing is that it really combines my two passions. I LOVE music and of course, I'm very passionate about suicide prevention. Those are definitely two things I want to continue in my future, so I probably will do something like this again later on.
Why should someone to your event?
People should come to this event because it is a really big issue in Washington and this would definitely bring more awareness to that situation, but also be something people would enjoy coming to. It's not a bunch of people talking about suicide, it's people performing, getting the message out there.
There are ALL different kinds of performances, all different types of music from choirs to solos to hip-hop to spoken word. There's something for everyone to enjoy.
Do you have difficulty promoting it? Is the subject/issue of suicide a downer?
It's a bit difficult to promote, because if it doesn't catch people's attention, then they're probably not very likely to go. I don't know exactly what will catch people's attention, which can be troublesome. I have a pretty good feeling about it so far, but I still want to get more people to know and really consider going to this event. I want it to be something that spreads and people talk about.
This subject can be a downer. However, this event will not be a "downer". I'm hoping for it to be hopeful and uplifting.
Linnea has been working hard with planning, rehearsals, and getting volunteers on top of schoolwork and extracurricular activities. She’s got a lot going on but it will all come together and be worth it! Outstanding job Linnea! We hope to see you there! Mark your calendar!
