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It’s crazy to think that it’s been two weeks since the Parkland Florida high school shooting where 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz shot up Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and killed 17 students & faculty members.
Since the shooting that happened on Valentine’s Day, many celebrities and survivors of the shooting have come forth speaking out against gun control regulations which are causing an alarming increase in mass school shootings. The most recent being Demi Lovato.
Lovato, who kicked off her highly anticipated “Tell Me You Love Me” world tour on Monday, took a moment to acknowledge some of the survivors of the Parkland shooting by inviting them on stage during her show in hopes to encourage healing from senseless tragedies like this one and to promote the importance of mental health.
Last night, @DDLovato invited survivors from Florida's deadly school shooting to her concert to share their stories. pic.twitter.com/YTRDzIKKd6
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) February 27, 2018
For Lovato’s inaugural show in San Diego, the 25-year-old invited six very special VIPs to join her onstage: Julius Castillo, Mackenzie Marie Chapman, Samantha Megan Deitsch, Maia Hebron, Eden Hebron and Sarah Stricker. These six VIPs donned matching maroon t-shirts that read “MSD STRONG” across the chest and took to the stage to share their stories.
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The six survivors flew in especially for the show and Lovato later told People that she was honored to have them be apart of her show and for their immense courage.
“Tonight was our first night of the tour and it was incredibly special,” she said. “I was able to bring out and meet a few of the students that had to experience the shooting in Florida on the 14th. It was such an honor to meet them and hear their courageous stories. I want to make sure their voices are being heard and we can provide them with the mental health and post-trauma care they need.”
Lovato, who’s made it no secret of her own personal battles with mental illness, has partnered with CAST Centers — an L.A. based treatment facility that focuses on mental health, wellness, and addiction treatment, and will be holding mental health and wellness workshops before each leg of the concert series. Lovato who was a patient of the center back in 2011 has since become an alum and co-owner and hopes to encourage her fans to seek treatment if they need it.
For Monday night’s show, a handful of bold-faced instructions to Lovato’s audience were shown on screen, and concertgoers were able to text monetary donations to the CAST Foundation during the show. The proceeds will help fund mental health resources for the students of Parkland.
