Live Free 999, the nonprofit founded by Carmela Wallace to honor her son Jarad “Juice WRLD” Higgins, announced today that it has donated $100,000 to local and national organizations addressing mental health and substance dependency challenges.
The donations to A Place Called Home, The AAKOMA Project, Bring Change to Mind, Crisis Text Line, Homewood Science Center, Live4Lali, NAMI Chicago, TCFMH (The Chicago Foundation for Mental Health), and Youth Outreach Services (YOS) were made in recognition of World Mental Health Day.
“World Mental Health Day offers an opportunity to reflect on the ways we can both amplify the conversation around mental health and help the many organizations providing critical support,” said Live Free 999 founder Carmela Wallace. “Through Live Free 999 and the new Homewood Brewing Company, I’m proud to carry on Jarad’s legacy of comforting those facing mental health and substance dependency challenges. In Chicago and beyond, these impactful organizations have dedicated professionals who directly improve so many lives.”
The organizations benefiting from Live Free 999’s contributions include:
- A Place Called Home – For 30 years, A Place Called Home has been serving South Central youth ages eight to mid-twenties and their families through education and arts programs, mental health counseling, mentorship, job readiness, college scholarships, civic engagement, and more.
- The AAKOMA Project – The AAKOMA Project builds the consciousness of intersectional Youth and Young Adults of Color and their caregivers on the recognition and importance of mental health, empower Youth and Young Adults of Color and their families to seek help and manage mental health, and influence systems and services to receive and address the needs of Youth and Young Adults of Color and their families.
- Bring Change to Mind – Bring Change to Mind is a nonprofit organization, co-founded by actress and activist Glenn Close, dedicated to encouraging dialogue about mental health.
- Crisis Text Line – Crisis Text Line provides free, 24/7, high-quality text-based mental health support and crisis intervention by empowering a community of trained volunteers to support people in their moments of need.
- Homewood Science Center – Homewood Science Center is a nonprofit community science center founded in 2016 to serve Chicago’s culturally and economically diverse south suburbs. Homewood Science Center works with educators, STEM professionals, and partner organizations to increase STEM literacy and foster diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM, so all area students can gain the skills and confidence they need to fully enjoy and contribute to the civic and commercial vibrancy of the region.
- Live4Lali – Live4Lali works to reduce stigma and prevent substance use disorder among individuals, families, and communities, and minimize the overall health, legal and social harms associated with substance use.
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Chicago – Since 1979, NAMI Chicago has fought for families and individuals impacted by mental health conditions. NAMI Chicago promotes community wellness, breaks down barriers to mental health care, and provides support and expertise for families, professionals and individuals in Chicago and beyond.
- TCFMH (The Chicago Foundation for Mental Health) – TCFMH’s doctors and clinical therapists go into communities in Chicago that are underserved and lacking resources. TCFMH is motivated by a desire to see a more equitable landscape in general, and offers services in the form of mental health care.
- Youth Outreach Services (YOS) – Youth Outreach Services (YOS) is a Chicago-based non-profit organization that partners with at-risk youth and their families to help them discover what they are capable of achieving. YOS inspire positive development through a variety of child welfare, counseling, juvenile justice, and prevention services to help overcome challenges such as abuse, substance use, and homelessness
Each World Mental Health Day since 2022, Live Free 999 has made donations, putting their total grants at $420,000. Earlier this year, Carmela Wallace, Live Free 999, and Crisis Text Line launched a powerful PSA on mental health and substance dependency resources. Playing on radio and TV stations across the country, the PSA highlighted Carmela and Jarad’s story, encouraging those in need to reach out to the Live Free 999 and Crisis Text Line for help.
The donations come ahead of Wallace officially opening Homewood Brewing Company (HBC), a space for community gathering, music and beer, on Friday, Oct. 18. The brewery is filled with artistic tributes to Jarad’s spirit and stands as both a celebration of his legacy and an opportunity for his mother, Carmela, to give back to the Homewood community that embraced her as she raised him.
