Bonnaroo and TDMHSAS Announce $100,000 Donation to Support School-Based Mental Health Services

MANCHESTER, Tenn. — A life-changing mental health program for children and youth is getting a big infusion of support thanks to Tennessee’s signature music festival.  The Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival is donating $100,000 to support the School-Based Behavioral Health Liaison program in nine schools across all three school districts in Coffee County.

School-Based Behavioral Health Liaisons are masters-level therapists who are employed by grantee community mental health centers and funded at the state level through the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS).  Liaisons work in partnership with their local school districts to help students who are struggling with mental health challenges, serious emotional disturbance, and substance use issues with parent permission.  Bonnaroo’s investment will help create dedicated counseling and wellness spaces in nine schools across Coffee County where these counselors, along with school social workers and other mental health professionals, can meet privately with students and provide care and support.

“Community is the heart of Bonnaroo.  The Farm is a place where people feel seen and supported, and we’ve witnessed fans lift each other through their darkest times,” said Shelby Goodsell, Festival Director, C3 Presents. “Supporting this program in schools across Coffee County is a natural extension of that spirit. By investing in mental health early, we hope to help build a generation with the strength to care for others and the courage to ask for help.”

“We see such tremendous outcomes with our School-Based Behavioral Health Liaisons.  Students get the help they need and get back to class resulting in improved outcomes for behavior, attendance, graduation, and educational attainment.  This funding from Bonnaroo leverages the state’s investment in this life-changing program, and we are so grateful to Secretary of State Tre Hargett for seeing the opportunity to connect our organizations and giving us the opportunity to create this collaboration,” said TDMHSAS Commissioner Marie Williams, LCSW.

“We’re so grateful to Bonnaroo for this generous gift to support our School-Based Behavioral Health Liaisons. This investment in the mental wellness of students in Coffee County pays immediate dividends in the schools, but it also enhances the wider community.  When our liaisons provide services in schools, parents don’t have to take off work and they don’t have to worry about their child receiving care,” said Phyllis Persinger, President/CEO Volunteer Behavioral Health Care Services.

“Coffee County Schools is deeply grateful to the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival for their generous donation to support and improve the mental health of our students, and to Volunteer Behavioral Health for their years of dedication and support in providing behavioral health liaisons for our schools. Together, your partnership is making a lasting difference in the lives of our students and families,” said Scott Hargrove, Director of Schools. Coffee County Schools.

“This incredibly generous donation from Bonnaroo means the world to Manchester City Schools. It helps us create dedicated, private therapeutic spaces right inside our buildings and ensures our students have a safe, quiet place to heal and grow. It empowers our counselors and liaisons to do what they do best: surround our children with the care, attention, and support they truly deserve,” said Joey Vaughn, Director of Schools, Manchester City Schools.

“I am thrilled to announce that we have been awarded $30,000, with $10,000 allocated to each location, to enhance spaces that support students' mental health needs,” said Dr. April Norris, Deputy Director of Schools, Tullahoma City Schools. “The grant funds will be used to establish these spaces at our Alternative Learning Center, East Lincoln Elementary School, and the Early Childhood Center/Jack T. Farrar Elementary School. We are grateful to Bonnaroo and the Behavioral Health Community Programs team for their support.”

With tens of millions in new state funding in recent years, Governor Bill Lee and the Tennessee General Assembly have expanded the School-Based Behavioral Health Liaisons to a few dozen positions in only a handful of counties to 400 funded positions covering all 95 Tennessee Counties.  In Coffee County, there are four Liaisons employed by Volunteer Behavioral Health working in five schools.  In the most recent state fiscal year, the more than 100 Coffee County students received targeted, intensive supports from a liaison, and more than 1,600 students, faculty, and staff received training from a liaison.  Statewide, more than 23,000 students received mental health counseling services from a liaison.

Learn more about the School-Based Behavioral Health Liaison program at this link: TN.gov/behavioral-health/sbbhl