Five years ago, the Dock Street Foundation’s Amy Haines and Richard Marks made a unique gift to the For All Seasons organization, the region’s largest non-profit behavioral health center. The foundation provided funds for a charter bus and tickets for thirty For All Seasons therapists to attend the Broadway hit, Dear Evan Hansen.
While this philanthropy was a positive way to support and encourage those frontline professionals as they confronted the growing threat of teen suicide on the Mid-Shore, it also turned out to be the beginning of a long association between the play, with its moving story of teen suicide, and the For All Seasons mission to reach out to troubled young people.
Leading that charge has been Beth Anne Langrell, the organization’s CEO, who started the You Are Not Alone initiative after seeing the New York production. And over the last five years, that critical tool of songs and sharing the play’s plotline with young people has been a key part of For All Seasons participation in the national Suicide Prevention Month.
Now, with the release of the film version of Evan Hansen, the You Are Not Alone program has an entirely new life as hundreds of students view the movie and begin a franks dialogue on suicide, depression and other mental health issues.
The Spy talked to Beth Anne last week about the 2021 You Are Not Alone effort and how using Dear Evan Hansen can be such a successful strategy in reaching young minds and hearts.
This video is approximately four minutes in length. To make a donation or find more information regarding For All Seasons please go here.
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