The Votes Are In!
2023 Readers' Choice is back, bigger and better than ever!
View Winners → 
“Play Music … Save A Life.”
Education Jan 15, 2015
by
share with
Delila Brown presenting a check of $16,284 to the Didi Hirsch Mental Health Organization which will go towards suicide prevention programs – Photo by Joey Reger
By Nick Kipley
“Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in 15-24 year olds and 17% of high school students have seriously considered suicide,” said Ms. Kita S. Curry, CEO of Didi Hirsch, a Southern California mental health organization credited for establishing the first 24-hour suicide crisis hotline in the nation (877-7-CRISIS). To benefit their efforts, fourteen-year-old Flintridge Prep student Delila Brown organized a concert with X-Factor’s Mr. Jacob Whitesides while simultaneously fulfilling a requirement for her science class.
Eagerly waiting, Mr. Whitesides’ fans stood outside the gate over a hundred strong. Some held handmade signs, some wore matching t-shirts, all talked with that seemingly endless energy typical of teenage girls aged approximately twelve to fifteen. They had begun queuing up at dawn in anticipation of an event that many had paid over a hundred dollars to attend.
Jacob Whitesides – Photo by Joey Reger
Mr. Whitesides, 17, whose debut iTunes single, “You’re Perfect,” paired with an enormous hype on social media platforms such as Vine and Twitter, drew fans to this small private school in La Cañada Flintridge from as far away as Santa Barbara and Las Vegas.
When the gates opened at around four in the afternoon, groups were allowed into the school in waves of approximately twelve, and were guided to tables by members of staff wearing shirts with “Play Music… Save A Life;” the function’s tagline.
Before the concert, some girls were able to briefly meet Mr. Whitesides himself.
“Kids came from all around,” said Delila. “We used Twitter to get the word out. Lots of his fans have gone through depression and his song, ‘You’re Perfect,’ is a song that they can connect with. We sold something like 130 VIP passes at $100 each and something like 30 general admission tickets at $60 each. The G.A. tickets were for parents who wanted to come but didn’t need to meet Jacob.”
When asked how she was able to pull off such an enormous feat, Delila explained, “My dad put me in touch with Brad [Smith, a booking agent] and he got a hold of Jacob. I knew it was a stretch but he [Jacob] agreed to do it once he knew it was for a good cause.” Delila chose Mr. Whitesides based on his social media presence and came up with the tagline, “Play Music… Save A Life,” as a way to get the message out.
Ms. Curry explained that the money Delila raised was, “remarkable,” and that it would be used to prevent deaths and suicide attempts through education. “When you walk into a class of thirty, five of the kids sitting in there have seriously thought about [suicide]. Delila wanted to do something to help with teens because through Twitter she saw some girls were dealing with depression.”
Didi Hirsch hopes to use the money raised by Delila’s project, “Not just to help people in pain,” Ms. Curry noted, “but people who are worried about someone else. We can give them advice on how to help out a friend,” in addition, she claimed, “due to social media, this younger generation are more open and readily able to talk about their emotions. And that has helped reduce the stigma around talking about suicide. What Delila has done is amazing. Astounding. I’m very grateful and I’m in awe of her dream!”
When Delila initially told teacher Hilary Thomas that she wanted to hold a concert for her community impact project, Ms. Thomas suggested Didi Hirsch as a potential beneficiary and put them in contact.
Then, as the ball got rolling, Delila and promoter Brad Smith were able to enlist the help of a professional photographer, Flintridge’s sound technician, security guards, and auditorium itself-all of whom worked or were donated at no cost. Parents and students inspired by Delila’s vision donated their time and effort. Mr. Whitesides himself, “Took time out from writing his debut album just for the show. Flew out from Nashville. Once he knew it was for suicide prevention,” claims promoter Mr. Smith.
The money raised ultimately totaled over $16,000 and was awarded to Ms. Curry by Mr. Whitesides himself through the use of one of those enormous checks. A round of applause and a lot of swooning followed suit.
After the show, a young concertgoer was overheard explaining to a friend, “I’m definitely going to his next show but I don’t think it will be that intimate. It’s just gonna be a bunch of screaming girls.”
