A six-figure donation from one of the state’s largest music festivals could deliver a positive impact on Tennessee students.¶
The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is donating $100,000 to the state’s School-Based Behavioral Health Liaison program. The donation will support nine schools across all three school districts in Coffee County.¶
“Community is the heart of Bonnaroo,” Bonnaroo Festival Director and C3 Presents Director of Festivals and Project Management Shelby Goodsell said. “The Farm is a place where people feel seen and supported, and we’ve witnessed fans lift each other through their darkest times. Supporting this program in schools across Coffee County is a natural extension of that spirit. By investing in mental health early, we hope to help build a generation with the strength to care for others and the courage to ask for help.”¶
What Does the Program Do?
School-Based Behavioral Health Liaisons are master’s-level therapists who work for community mental health centers and are funded by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS). They partner with local school districts to support students struggling with mental health challenges, emotional disturbances, and substance use issues.¶
“With tens of millions in new state funding in recent years, Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly have expanded the School-Based Behavioral Health Liaisons from a few dozen positions in only a handful of counties to 400 funded positions covering all 95 Tennessee Counties,” A TDMHSAS release reads. “In the most recent state fiscal year, more than 100 Coffee County students received targeted, intensive supports from a liaison, and more than 1,600 students, faculty, and staff received training from a liaison.”¶
Services provided by the program include individual counseling sessions; mental health assessments and referrals for services; group interventions and psychoeducation for students to develop positive coping and de-escalation strategies; liaison services to foster positive relationships among the school, families, and other critical resources; and more.¶
“Coffee County Schools is deeply grateful to the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival for their generous donation to support and improve the mental health of our students, and to Volunteer Behavioral Health for their years of dedication and support in providing behavioral health liaisons for our schools,” Coffee County Schools Director Scott Hargrove said. “Together, your partnership is making a lasting difference in the lives of our students and families.”¶
Bonnaroo runs from June 11 to June 14 at the festival grounds off I-24 in Manchester.¶
