With just about one month remaining in the semester, students are starting to think about the stress of final exams week. At this point in the semester, students start to feel the anxiety and stress building up. However, nothing seems to relieve those negative emotions better than music.
On Saturday, November 9, the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity partnered up with Active Minds to present “Music For Your Mind.” The benefit concert accepted five dollar donations at the door for Active Minds and featured local bands such as Afterimage, Jailbait, Safejoy and Patient Sound.
Active Minds is a non-profit organization that supports mental health awareness and educates students.
The event was organized by Alpha Sigma Phi’s Vice President of Philanthropy and Service John Budenas. Budenas said this event is the third benefit concert put on by the organization and he feels it’s a great time for one. “We are running this show because this is a cause that we all believe in so strongly. We think it is a perfect time to run a fundraiser for a non-profit dedicated to mental health, because it is that point in the semester where many students might be stressed out and having a lot of anxiety cramming and studying for finals. We wanted to plan a really fun and different event to raise money for this awesome organization.”
Budenas said the event was primarily run by members of his fraternity. “We have brothers accepting donations at the door and marking hands and offering information about the event as well,” Budenas added. “We also teamed up with the local Active Minds club at KSC to represent the organization at the show. Brothers are also donating their own money to the cause as well as helping run the event.”
Singer and rhythm guitarist Alyssa Taylor said when Budenas asked if her band Jailbait would perform at the concert she jumped at the opportunity. “We played a benefit show for [Alpha Sigma Phi] in the past and had a lot of fun with it and we are excited to play again alongside so many other talented musicians. We feel it is valuable for us as a band to spread awareness for causes we can get behind, such as the Active Minds organization. Being able to use music as a tool to help those who need it is an amazing feeling,” Taylor said.
While many people attended the event to relax and listen to the local bands, Jessica Poole attend to show her support for some of her support for her friend in Safejoy. “The bands were really good and there was a lot of variety,” Poole said.
According to Alpha Sigma Phi, the event ended up raising almost $300 for Active Minds. For more information on the organization, reach out to the club’s president Veronica Paris. Any student who is looking for counseling services is encouraged to contact the Wellness Center’s Health & Counseling staff.
The Keene State College Active Minds club did not respond before the publication of this article.
Erin McNemar can be contacted
at emcnemar@kscequinox.com
