Carmela Wallace, who founded the nonprofit Live Free 999 to honor her son Jarad “Juice WRLD” Higgins, released a national PSA today – playing on radio and TV stations across the country – highlighting her story and encouraging those in need to reach out to Live Free 999 and Crisis Text Line for mental health support. Through the PSA and accompanying media tour, Wallace and Live Free 999 aim to normalize the conversation around mental health and substance dependency.
When her son, Jarad “Juice WRLD” Higgins, died of an accidental drug overdose, Wallace turned her pain into purpose by founding Live Free 999. Live Free 999’s mission is to steer individuals away from the grips of substance dependency and offer vital support for mental health challenges. Approximately 1 in 4 adults grapple with mental challenges, soaring to 1 in 3 among those aged 18-25. Yet treatment rates in this group are shockingly low. Linked closely with substance use, these issues create a complex web where individuals suffering from mental health challenges are more susceptible to substance use disorders, and vice versa.
“I started Live Free 999 to remove the stigma and normalize conversations around mental health and substance dependency. I want to ensure that no other parent or loved one faces what I’ve faced,” says Carmela Wallace in the PSA.
In the new PSA, Wallace shares the story of her son, who released four studio albums, nine EPs, two mixtapes, 35 singles and is one of the most streamed artists ever. The PSA then encourages those in need to text LF999 to 741741 to connect with a Crisis Text Line volunteer crisis counselor.
In tandem with the PSA and alongside Dr. Shairi Turner, Chief Health Officer for Crisis Text Line, Wallace yesterday embarked on a national media tour – including 23 different media markets and 16 televised interviews – to amplify her story and the Live Free 999 mission. Through its partnership with Crisis Text Line’s free and confidential mental health service, Live Free 999 has directly touched over 10,000 lives, offering solace, guidance, and a compassionate ear to those in need. Over 500 voices from the Live Free 999 community have shared their personal stories to give hope to others and build a community of compassion and support on its website.
The PSA and media tour were produced in partnership with Boom Broadcast and Media Relations and Motion Projects, which was founded on the idea that the best work comes from leaner, nimble, bespoke teams of top-tier talent. Motion Projects’s vision is to transform how great brands leverage creative and production to realize advertising, marketing and communication goals.
Through financial grants and partnerships, Live Free 999 bolsters organizations providing positive mental health treatments and alternatives to drug use. For the past several years, Live Free 999 has donated $100K to local and national organizations in honor of World Mental Health Day. Organizations supported by Live Free 999 include Crisis Text Line, NAMI/National Alliance on Mental Illness, Bring Change to Mind, A Place Called Home, Youth Outreach Services, Gateway Foundation, Inc., Live4Lali, and Coffee, and Hip-Hop & Mental Health.
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