The Spring Concert will celebrate the stories of the people who shape our community and our world. With this focus in mind, the concert will address themes of mental wellness and mental health struggles that impact each of our lives in some way. This Spring concert is part of an ongoing dedication to cultivating relationships within the Greater Cleveland Community, our Catholic faith, and the Benedictine Hallmarks

Featured pieces include: "The Music of Living" by Dan Forrest, "He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother" by Bob Russell, Bobby Scott, and Paul Simon
arr. Stacey V. Gibbs, "You Will Be Found" by Benji Pasek and Justin Paul arr. Nicholas Urbanic and "One Song" by Alan and Marilyn Bergman & Marvin Hamlisch arr. Mark Hayes

The centerpiece of our program today is the piece Please Stay. “Please Stay” is an anthem of hope – an attempt to destigmatize mental illness and challenge all of us to support those who are battling depression and thoughts of suicide. You are not alone. We can make a difference. We can be the support system that saves a life. “To Write Love On Her Arms” is a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. Their 2016 campaign for World Suicide Prevention Day was titled “and So I Kept Living.” Using the hashtag #IKeptLiving, thousands of individuals who battle depression shared their stories on Twitter as to why they chose to live over death. Composer Jake Runested read and collected hundreds of these tweets and used them to inspire the text for this beautiful work.

Our Program is about people. Our people. Our neighbors, friends and family members. We will take the listener on a journey of hope, of love, of support and of comfort as we offer our support through music to all of those who struggle with or are affected by the issues of mental health. Mental wellness is a very uncomfortable topic to bring up and discuss. It’s one that impacts each of our lives in some way. As musicians and musical artists, we use our gift of music to bring up this topic that is often hard to discuss. Even within our own community and musical family, we learned in an anonymous survey that nearly 88% of our music department students have been affected some way due to a family member, dear friend or they themselves who have had mental struggles.

Some current facts. (SOURCE: Nguyen, Theresa et al. State of Mental Health in America, 2018.)

∙ 1 in 5 Adults have a mental health condition. That's over 40 million Americans; more than the populations of New York and Florida combined.

∙ Youth mental health is worsening. Rates of youth with severe depression increased from 5.9% in 2012 to 8.2% in 2015. Even with severe
depression, 76% of youth are left with no or insufficient treatment

∙ COVID-19 22.3% of youth had scores indicative of clinical depressive symptoms 

∙85.7% of parents of children aged 3 to 18 years who completed a survey about the effects of the quarantine on their children reported changes in their children. 

∙ The most frequently observed changes were difficulty concentrating (76.6%), boredom (52%), irritability (39%), restlessness (38.8%), nervousness (38%), loneliness (31.3%), uneasiness (30.4%), and worries (30.1%).

∙ 75% of parents reported feeling stressed about the quarantine situation. Parental stress was associated with increased reports of emotional and behavioral symptoms in their children.

∙ More Americans have access to services. Access to insurance and treatment increased, as healthcare reform has reduced the rates of uninsured adults. The greatest decrease in uninsured Adults with mental illnesses was seen in states that expanded Medicaid.

∙ But most Americans still lack access to care. 56% of American adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment. Even in Maine, the state with the best access, 41.4% of adults with a mental illness do not receive treatment.

∙ There is a serious mental health workforce shortage. In states with the lowest
workforce, there is up 6 times the individuals to only 1 mental health professional. This includes psychiatrists,
psychologists, social workers, counselors, and psychiatric nurses combined.

The Benedictine Music Department pledges to support, to celebrate, and to make meaningful connections with the vibrant and diverse individuals and organizations that form our Greater Cleveland community. Our mission is dedicated to “fostering human connection,” and our story is composed of many voices joined in one song. In this spirit, we are grateful for the mental health and wellness organizations in our community . We are inspired by their work to provide hope, advocacy, and awareness. Grateful for their work we encourage you to read more about each organization below)

ADAMHS (Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services Board of Cuyahoga County), an organization dedicated to “enhancing the quality of life of individuals in our community through prevention, treatment, and recovery services coordinated through a person-centered network of community supports.” http://www.adamhscc.org/

· The Alive Inside Foundation, an organization that uses music, empathy, life story, and film to connect the generations and combat dementia and the effects of loneliness in senior citizens. http://www.aliveinside.us/

· Cuyahoga County Division of Children and Family Services, a county government agency that offers services and relief to abused and neglected children and their families with support from the community. http://hhs.cuyahogacounty.us/divisions/detail/children-and-family-services

· The MetroHealth System Department of Psychiatry, providing comprehensive mental health care and treatment options to individuals from all over Greater Cleveland. https://www.metrohealth.org/behavioral-health-services

· NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness Greater Cleveland), an organization “dedicated to empowering persons affected by mental illness and their family members by providing them with support, education, referral and advocacy.”
· To Write Love On Her Arms, a “non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.” http://namiohio.org/

· Benedictine High School Guidance Office:  http://cbhs.net/academics/counseling-department/

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Rt. Rev. Abbot and Chancellor Gary Hoover, OSB ‘74
Dr. Frank Bossu ’67, President
Mr. Ryan Ryzner ’95, Principal
Mr. Dale Jakab ’68, Director of Student Services
Mr. Jarritt Goode ’95, Dean of Men
Mr. Richard Salem ’90, Network Administrator
Fr. Michael Brunovsky, OSB
Dr. Lisa Pierce Litteral
Beaumont Music Department
Mrs. Tracy Fallon
The Karboski Family
The LaForest Family
The Rainey Family
The Sfiligoj Family
The Zachlin Family
Office of Advancement
Office of Admissions
Counseling Department
Maintenance Department and Mr. Joe Alflen
The Faculty and Staff of Benedictine High School