October 15, 2020
Please help us help our youth. 100% of donations go directly to Attitudes In Reverse and support our mission of youth mental health and suicide prevention.
School of Rock Fundraiser for AIR
School of Rock Somerville students who will be performing on October 18.
School of Rock is hosting a free house band show on October 18 to raise money and awareness for Attitudes in Reverse (AIR).

The outdoor event will take place from noon to 4 pm at the Village Brewing Company, 34 Main Street, Somerville, NJ. Students, ages 13 to 17 years old from School of Rock Somerville and School of Rock Princeton, will be performing.

School of Rock usually hosts several house band shows to showcase the achievements of their exceptional students throughout the year, but this year Covid-19 caused the cancellation of in-person classes and performances.

Dee Thandi, owner of School of Rock Somerville, said they transitioned to remote lessons immediately after Covid-19 cases started and very quickly saw a change in their students.

“You could just tell the difference in the kids,” said Thandi, remembering many avid students who stopped showing an interest in practice. “We saw the mental impact Covid had on them.”

So when it seemed safer to schedule a performance, School of Rock Somerville and School of Rock Princeton decided to raise money for a local charity and increase awareness of teen mental health disorders and depression. They chose AIR because of its focus on providing mental health education. These programs encourage students to express their feelings, which offers opportunities for caring adults to connect them to appropriate services when needed.
“We thought this would be a good thing for this moment in time,” said Thandi. "We chose to support AIR as we wanted to bring people's attention to the current issues with youth mental illness today. AIR epitomizes this with their mission.”

AIR offers programs for students in elementary school through college as well as a business Lunch and Learn. Certified therapy dogs are an integral part of the presentations, although with Covid restrictions some visits have been virtual. AIR certifies dogs and their volunteer handlers to help humans during therapy visits. 

“Interacting with a dog releases good de-stressing brain chemicals and dogs can break down the barriers of stigma and start so many conversations about good mental health,” said Tricia Baker, YMHFA, CPDT-KA, Co-Founder of AIR. “This is especially important as the coronavirus pandemic has created or compounded mental health issues for many people, which could lead to increased risk of suicide.”

The October 18 performance is free, but patrons are encouraged to donate to AIR using this link.

“We are thankful to have such strong community supporters like School of Rock,” said Baker. 
AIR Sends Infinite Gratitude to All Volunteers and other Supporters!
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