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Millennial and Gen Z-driven mental health nonprofit Project Healthy Minds has announced the participants for the third annual World Mental Health Day Festival and the guests for the second annual World Mental Health Day Gala. The festival will take place on October 10 at Hudson Yards in New York City, with the gala kicking off that evening at Spring Studios.
Participants revealed so far for the 2024 edition of the festival include Demi Lovato, OBB Media CEO Michael D. Ratner, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, showrunner and producer Brian Koppelman, Bonobos CEO Andy Dunn, comedian Gary Gulman, SoulCycle co-founder Julie Rice and the Carson Daly of the ‘Today’ show. Gala guests include Laura Benanti, Paul Walter Hauser, Howard Schultz and Leo Pearlman; The gala will be hosted by Carson Daly with an introduction from “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie, who serves as Dinner Chair with her husband, FGS Global Co-Chairman Mike Feldman. Producer and reality TV star Kyle Richards has also been added as Project Healthy Minds’ gala dinner chair.
“I am pleased to welcome this year’s participants to our community of allies, all working to create a better future for mental health care,” said Phillip Schermer, founder and CEO of Project Healthy Minds. “Their dedication to furthering the conversation is truly inspiring and we are honored to provide them with a platform to share their stories.”
Among the awards presented at the event, Chance the Rapper will receive the first-ever “Project Healthy Minds Trailblazer of the Year Award.” Michael Ratner will also receive the title of ‘Storyteller of the Year’ (hosted by Demi Lovato), while the ‘Humanitarian of the Year’ will go to the Yabuki Foundation and the ‘Corporate Visionary of the Year’ honor will go to KPMG.
“It’s like prom for us at Project Healthy Minds,” Daly added. “As a proud board member, I have a front-row seat to all the incredible work that goes into this event. We are extremely grateful to all participants and sponsors who support this worthy cause.”
The mainstage festivities for the World Mental Health Day Festival kick off with “The Price of Passion: Mental Health in the Founder’s Journey” with panelists Dunn and Rice, where they will discuss the often under-discussed mental toll of entrepreneurial success. “Punchlines for Progress: Comedy’s Power to Shift How Americans Feel & Talk about Mental Health” closes the event, where panelist Gulman will discuss how comedians can use their platforms to support mental health awareness.
More details can be found on the Project Healthy Minds site (www.projecthealthyminds.com).
