- Details
- Category: Current Issue
captions, page 5:
Gratitude Compassion
The Papa Joe Show at the 13th annual Particle Accelerator musical festival fund-raiser. Linda Lemmon photos.
PUTNAM — The 13th annual Particle Accelerator fund-raiser concert raised just over $10,000 for local community behavioral health services.
Particle Accelerator: A Day of Music and Hope, a free, all-day music festival that featured 18 bands playing music of all genres and for all ages.
The festival started in 2007 by family and friends of Putnam resident Jack Young Jr., who died by suicide on his 27th birthday that year. Event organizers include Grace and Jack Young Sr. and Eric and Sandy Gould, all of Putnam.
The annual benefit concert has two main goals, organizers said. The first is to raise funds and awareness to support United Services, Inc., one of Connecticut’s most comprehensive private, non-profit behavioral health centers, providing mental and behavioral health education, prevention, treatment and social services to the children, adults and families of northeastern Connecticut since 1964.
“Particle Accelerator is a great opportunity to start a conversation about mental health, depression and suicide with a focus on recovery and hope,” said United Services President/CEO Diane L. Manning. “Organizers work throughout the year to make the day fun and informative for families and we are grateful for their work and for the many sponsors and businesses that support the event each year.”
Performers Saturday included: Kala Farnham, Adam Trudel, Llama Tsunami, The Papa Joe Show, Win the Fight, the Infinite Groove, OK and the Night Crew and more.
The second event goal is to provide information and support for depression and suicide prevention, while promoting music and civic engagement as a healthy alternative to drug and alcohol abuse among young adults.
The June 8 event brought large crowds to Rotary Park, where residents could also learn about local mental health and other social service resources from United Services, Putnam PRIDE (Partnership to Reduce the Influence of Drugs for Everyone), the Windham County chapter for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.
Particle Accelerator’s Wall of Angels, a moving tribute to friends and family members lost the suicide, honored more than 270 people this year with photos on the wall and the lighting of luminaria at dusk.
..