The concert to address addiction and mental health issues through music is sponsored by the Collegiate Recovery Program and Counseling & Psychological Services.
Fresh off the heels of being awarded the Connecticut Healthy Campus Initiative Grant for the second year in a row, Fairfield University will host Daphne Willis in concert, slated to be an inspiring musical performance, different than any ordinary performance.
The concert is free and open to the public, and will be held in the Barone Campus Center, Lower Level, on Thursday, March 7, 2019 at 7 p.m.
The Daphne Willis concert has a close connection to the Connecticut Healthy Campus Initiative Grant, which provides funding to bring special events like this concert to college campuses, in order to increase awareness of drug overdose and to heighten attention to resources available for those who may be struggling with addiction.
Willis, a Chicago native, has more than 1,000 shows under her belt over the past several years. In 2016, she was signed to a worldwide publishing agreement with Sony/ATV Music Publishing. This partnership has resulted in several of her songs being recorded by other artists and used in commercial, film, and TV productions such as One Tree Hill, Empire, and a Microsoft Ad Campaign.
Her new single, Somebody’s Someone is a powerful song about the damages of addiction and mental health struggles, with a message that regardless of an individual’s current situation, there will always be family, friends, or loved ones to offer support and love.
Daphne Willis exemplifies the type of awareness Fairfield University is trying to generate with this grant. In a candid Billboard interview, Willis described her own struggles with mental health, admitting that she has suffered from depression and insomnia throughout the course of her life, and has battled with addiction.
Willis' concert is predicted to be an empowering event that organizers hope will inspire anyone going through a difficult time and enlighten students about the difficulties faced by those who struggle with mental health obstacles.
Lisa Arnold, MFT, LADC, clinical director of the Collegiate Recovery Program explained what makes Daphne Willis the perfect performer for this concert, “Daphne has personal experience with addiction and mental health issues. She has a wonderful energy and ability to connect with a diverse audience with ease. She conveys hope and resilience through her songwriting and her talent, and she will be an incredibly positive inspiration to our students who are struggling with similar issues.”
