River Street Promotions was forced to postpone their winter fundraiser repeatedly, but the five friends are excited to bring their Nashville singer-songwriter collaborators back to Moose Jaw on April 29.
Jared Mathieson, Andy Hamilton, Shea Jameson, Joel Stewart, and James Murdock formed River Street Promotions (RSP) at the end of 2019 to focus their considerable fundraising power on supporting teen mental health. Funds raised by RSP are donated to the Prairie South School Division (PSSD).
Because of COVID, the non-profit immediately experienced delays that became postponements.
However, despite the pandemic, they brought their first event, Homestand ’21, to life at Ross Wells Park in August 2021. The event raised $50,000 for youth mental health wellness, and another $15,000 was donated to help beautify the park that hosted the concert.
“Mental health wellness is very important for both our students and for our staff,” said Amanda Olson, superintendent of learning at PSSD. The money raised by RSP has helped PSSD establish a fund for mental health education that Olson said has made a tremendous difference.
The fund is called RSP Mental Health Wellness Funding. It makes up to $1,500 available to individual schools on a matching basis for their mental health initiatives.
“So, for example,” Olson explained. “Mossbank School hosted a mental health wellness fair, and throughout the day students learned about various components of mental health wellness, things like meditation and being outdoors, how beneficial that is.”
Other schools such as William Grayson and Empire School have events planned as well.
Additional initiatives RSP’s donation has funded include speakers on mental wellness and mental/emotional resilience. They’ve shared those opportunities with Holy Trinity Catholic School Division.
Kevin Cameron, an education specialist and executive director of the North American Center for Threat Assessment and Trauma Response, has spoken to the school divisions several times.
“(Cameron) is a firm believer that the connection gap needs to be fixed before the learning gap can be focused on,” Olson said. “Because kids need to be mentally prepared and feel well and feel safe at school… Students who have a connection to a caring adult, someone they feel genuinely understood by, have a higher sense of self-esteem and higher success rates in school and in life in general.”
PSSD also used RSP funds to have Dr. Robyne Hanley-Dafoe speak to parents, teachers, and school community councils about her theory and strategies for everyday resiliency. Olson said that the presentation helped not only students but everyone involved with supporting them, which is increasing recognized as an important part of youth success.
PSSD and Holy Trinity continue to apply and use the language they’ve learned about resiliency.
Dr. Hanley-Dafoe’s talk can be watched on the Prairie South website.
Music Row at the Mae was initially scheduled for January 28 before the Omicron wave derailed the plan. It’s back on for April 29 at 7:30 p.m.
Nashville singer-songwriters Emily Shackelton, Victoria Banks, Phil Barton, and Jeff Cohen will be at the Mae Wilson Theatre to perform and to talk about their mental wellness journeys.
They will also be at the A.E. Peacock auditorium on the morning of the 29th to speak with, perform for, and answer questions from 600 students representing both PSSD and Holy Trinity. The artists are going to share personal stories behind some of their biggest hits, and help students understand that it’s ok to struggle – everyone does.
RSP is already planning the next Homestand summer concert, which will again be held at Ross Wells Park.
“It’s been absolutely fantastic working with this group of dedicated community members and fundraisers,” Olson said. “(The funds are) utilized by each community in a way that is meaningful to their students. And it’s needed.”
Follow River Street Promotions on Facebook to stay updated with news on Music Row at the Mae, and to be ready for when tickets go on sale.
