Joyce Cooling is gearing up for a concert series very dear to the hearts and lives of thousands of Americans. MUSIC FOR THE MIND is a benefit for the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). The internationally acclaimed guitarist – singer – song writer is performing the shows in Boston, Massachusetts, Montclair, New Jersey, and the first performance being on Friday, August 6, 2010 at Anthology, in downtown San Diego, California. Portions of the proceeds and merchandise sales will support those cities’ local NAMI chapters.
Cooling knows first hand about the fight against mental illness. “It all began when my brother was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 19 years old,” said Cooling who credits NAMI for being the saving grace for her entire family.
“We had nowhere to turn. Then one day my mother learned about NAMI. The organization gave us so many resources, supported us through meetings, and so much more. NAMI is a wonderful support group that truely saved our lives. Now it’s my turn to help NAMI to help other families,” Cooling told SmoothJazzTimes.com.
Cooling’s melodies are soothing, cool, and relaxing. The smooth jazz artist is a show stopper before concert crowds. In fact during the MUSIC FOR THE MIND series, Cooling will play tunes from her latest CD “Global Cooling.”
With an estimated 26.2 percent of Americans ages 18 and older suffering from mental illness, Cooling hopes her musical gifts during this critical time will heighten awareness about mental illness, medical research and the struggles with the stigma linked to the condition.
“ That word mental illness has such a horrible stigma attached to it that people kind of shrink back and say ‘oh no, I don’t have mental illness’,” expressed Cooling. “But we must realize that 1 in 4 families is affected by mental illness. It is everywhere and we have to do our share to make things better,” she said.
NAMI is America’s largest grassroots mental health organization. Cooling urges those who can not attend the MUSIC FOR THE MIND shows to offer their generous support for the non-profit by visiting www.nami.org to make a donation.
“This is my cause and I really want to let everyone know that we are so thankful for all the supporters of NAMI and for these MUSIC OF THE MIND shows,” she said. “I think it’s important to recognize those who are helping. That’s why I will take time out in each of my performances for NAMI and thank all the fans for their love and support to help so many individuals affected by mental illness.”
“MUSIC FOR THE MIND” Concert Series Featuring Joyce Cooling
FRI, AUG. 6, 2010 ANTHOLOGY, SAN DIEGO, CA
THU. OCT. 7, 2010 SCULLERS JAZZ CLUB, BOSTON, MA
FRI. OCT. 8, 2010 TRUMPETS JAZZ CLUB, MONTCLAIR, NJ
For more information visit www.joycecooling.com
