September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and as we approach its final days, Reno Jazz Orchestra continues to bring awareness through the power of music.
They will be performing their tribute to Donny Hathaway multiple times this weekend at The Nugget in Sparks.
Hathaway's music was a blend of gospel, jazz, and R&B with powerful civil rights messages. During his music career, he suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, which unfortunately led to his suicide in 1979 at the age of 33.
Following his death, Donnita Hathaway, Donny's daughter, founded the non-profit Donny Hathaway Legacy Project and is partnering with Note-Able Music Therapy Services and Northern Nevada HOPES.
Donnita says, "Music has always been there, and it will never let you down, and so what better tool to use than something that we all love, we all appreciate, that brings community."
Northern Nevada HOPES says one in five people experience depression in northern Nevada, and at least one person every 11 minutes commits suicide in the country.
Note-Able Music Therapy Services commonly works with Northern Nevada HOPES using music as a primary tool to help heal patients who are struggling.
Isaiah Davenport, licensed clinical social worker and certified advanced grief counseling specialist, says, "Turning on jazz or classical music could literally elevate your feelings or emotions about the situation, and that's why I think music is so healing, and I love HOPES because we have the Note-Ables."
If you or someone you know is in a mental health crisis, the Suicide Hotline is available 24/7 by dialing 988.
You find tickets to the Donny Hathaway tribute show by clicking here.
