UpStage Stigma

All proceeds of donations made here will go to the Friends of PACT.

The Friends of PACT supports clients of the Program of Assertive Community Treatment, which is a community support program for people with mental illness.

May 2018: TWO WEEKS UNTIL THE SHOW!

Dear Friends of UpStage,

UpStage Stigma  is growing as an advocacy project! 

After this year's show, we are hoping to become a 501(c)3 non-profit organization! Currently, we are raising funds for our Mental Health Month event, UpStage Stigma on May 19th: Your donations will go toward show programs that feature individuals who share their stories on that date, table toppers that will be used to collect funds for the Friends of PACT (the Program of Assertive Community Treatment), promotional materials for the event (so that we can bring people from many communities to the event, changing attitudes about mental illness, and hopefully raising lots of money for the Friends of the Program of Assertive Community Treatment!), and future events that change lives by creating brave spaces and raising funds for important organizations.

Love and gratitude,

Emily

Also: RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/343168702834726/
Sign up for our email list: www.upstagestigma.com
Like us! www.facebook.com/upstagestigma

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March 2018: Thank you all SO much. Because of your contributions and a grant from the UW-Madison School of Social Work, we will now be able to have the event at the Majestic, Madison on Saturday, May 19, with music before and/or after the show. Any leftover funds, or funds collected from this point forward, will be used toward food, production costs, and to support the event in future years. Thank you for helping UpStage Stigma make a difference.

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February, 2018: UpStage Stigma is a show in which individuals tell stories of mental illness or emotional struggle in the art form of their choice. Last year, the show included musicians, actors, dancers, poets, speakers, and visual artists from near and far. These individuals are professional artists, clinicians, clients, students, professors, all of the above or none of the above, from many different backgrounds and with many different stories to tell. They moved the audience, creating an atmosphere of courage, vulnerability and beauty in its truest sense.

We raised funds for the Friends of the Program of Assertive Community Treatment with a $5-10 suggested donation (PACT is a fantastic program for individuals with severe mental illness, dedicated to helping them thrive in the community). That said, the event is strictly non-prohibitive, financially--you and your loved ones are welcome to attend free.

The show was at the Brink Lounge, beginning with free pizza and live jazz, and ending with Brazilian samba music. In the audience were over 200 people from various communities in and around Madison. 

This year, we are hoping to host the event on May 19 (a Saturday!) at the Majestic--a 600-person venue. A student task force and support from organizations such as the National Alliance on Mental Illness and PACT will help us spread the word and fill the seats. The wonderful UW-Madison School of Social Work co-sponsors and supports this event in a myriad of ways. But we are still in the process of writing this year’s grant, and time is short!

$4000 is needed to pay for the Majestic for Saturday, May 19. We need $2000 in the next week, to reserve it.

That's where this campaign comes in.

All funds donated here will go toward covering 1) venue deposit! 2) venue remaining cost, 3) pre and post-show musicians, 4) other production costs, 5) food, and 6) a fund for sustaining the event in future years. 

I'm not the best at asking people for things. But, we have about a week to obtain deposit funds. So, I'm stepping out of my comfort zone and into crowdfunding.  After all, the show has always been about everyone; the stakeholders are "all humans," as far as I'm concerned. So even if you want to give a dollar, that means a lot to me.

My heart and soul are in this event, and what makes it so great is that that's true for everyone who participates, and ultimately, for audience members, too. The event is about reminding us that, in the words of Harry Stack Sullivan: We are all more human than otherwise.

*Beautiful table topper and programs in photos are by Paulina Kababie