Burgers & Bands expands to Annapolis, New Zealand Severna Park mother and son help communities talk about suicide and mental health awareness

What began as a small fundraiser by a Severna Park mother and her son to address mental health needs has expanded - providing music, food resources in new areas.

Through Burgers & Bands for Suicide Prevention, Ann Brennan and her son, Ethan Brennan, offer a chance to come together and talk about suicide and mental health awareness.

"We said we think that this town is ready for this. They are ready for someone to step up and say we are ready to solve this problem," Ann Brennan said.

In 2016, the Brennans organized a fundraiser after Ethan tried to harm himself. From there, money has gone to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and directly to Anne Arundel County schools. Since the latest festival in May, the organization has offered grants to 15 schools for training and supplies.

Now in October, the Brennans are expanding Burgers & Bands to a location in Annapolis - and the festival will expand to New Zealand in December. A baseball manager there reached out for help, Ann said.

"We started because I struggled in high school. I had a few attempts and so we actually started with the Out of the Darkness walks with American Foundation for Suicide Prevention," Ethan said.

They both realized there was a need for more visibility on mental health and a deeper connection with a community that also has a history of self-harm among students.

Severna Park High School is a high performing school, with one of the county's highest graduation rates - more than 98% of seniors graduated in 2018. It is known for sending students to prestigious colleges and universities.

At least three Severna Park High students and one employee have died by suicide since 2012, according to sources close to the deceased and reporting by The Capital. Another student died suddenly in March.

And in its Youth Suicide Report for 2012 to 2016, the Anne Arundel County Department of Health found there had been 76 attempts at self-harm in Severna Park.

"At the time, it is hard when you are going through depression to not think you are completely alone," Ann said. "Part of why we started this was to show this community that you are not alone."

Their social media campaign #YouAreNotAlone, reinforces the message that students should not have to go through depression or other mental illnesses without aid or help from others. The campaign is also printed out in block letters and sits in Ann Brennan's office.

In the first year, Burgers & Bands raised $8,000. The next year, it raised $45,000 and the results of the festival in May reached $80,000.

"The idea is to take this idea to cities all across the country, and if we do that we needed to know how it would work and how much work it is going to be," Ann said.

Though the New Zealand location is set, they hope the Annapolis festival will be a model for future events.

"We can't run 50 different things, but we want to spread it across the country because the issue is everywhere," Ethan said.

The event not only provides access to resources like the Anne Arundel Crisis Response team, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and National Alliance on Mental Illness, but also a message of hope.

"I was saying it was a joyful event but really is is not joyful - it is hopeful," Ann said.

Brennan says she understands what it feels like when all hope has been lost. While her son was in the hospital, she said she believed "so deeply that Ethan was going to die," she said.

She said she became depressed and after she was hospitalized, she blogged about her experience to show the community that she also struggles. Now, she looks to Ethan with pride as they talk about the upcoming festivals.

Ethan graduated high school in 2015 and now attends St. Mary's College in Southern Maryland with hopes of becoming a special needs teacher.

"I think Ethan is the very picture of hope. He's so happy now," she said.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention will hold is annual Out of the Darkness awareness walk will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Navy Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis. To register, visit afsp.donordrive.com

Burgers & Bands in Annapolis will be held on Oct. 20 at the Byzantium Event and Conference Center. The lineup includes local musicians like Kelly Bell Band, the Great Heights Band, Mojo Bozo's Electric Circus and Ethan's younger brother's band, ZEE Band. Tickets are $15 for adults and free for children under 12. The organization's website also offers tickets for T-shirts and a guitar raffle.

"I've heard from parents who said, my son asked for help and I know it was because of Burgers & Bands. I had a parent call me and she said you saved my life," Ann said.

Caption: Ann Brennan and her son Ethan Brennan are organizing the fourth Burgers & Bands for Suicide Prevention, a mix of local bands, food, games and activities to help raise funds on mental health.

Shirts and hats have been made for the fourth Burgers and Bands for Suicide Prevention, a mix of local bands, food, games and activities to help raise funds on mental health.

Joshua McKerrow/Capital Gazette

Joshua McKerrow/Capital Gazette