The red carpet was rolled out yesterday for teen stars and celebrity partners at the Free2Luv® UNSTOPPABLE Youth Empowerment Event at The Regent Theater in downtown Los Angeles. This music-driven production benefited underserved girls, and was not only an event, but a movement to “Be Bold, Be Fierce and Be You!”
The crowd cheered for inspiring songs and words by Host Stephanie Gonzalez (Reporter and “Houston Life TV” Producer), Stephanie Rice (NBC’s “The Voice”), pop-rock star GabrieLA, Bianca Kajlich (“Rules of Engagement” and “Undateable”), Laya DeLeon Hayes (voice of Disney’s “Doc McStuffins”), Britten Healey (“Teens Wanna Know”), Actress/Singer/Songwriter Serena Laurel, LoveSea The Poet and many more musicians and dancers.
Free2Luv’s mission is to celebrate individuality and equality, spread kindness and stand up to bullying through arts and entertainment. And everyone was there to stand by each other to embrace differences and prevent bullying.
“Among middle school students, 24 percent are cyber bullied and 45 percent are bullied on school property. And among high school students, 15 percent are cyber bullied and 20 percent are bullied on school property. The most common reasons for bullying are based on physical appearance, including body shape and race. These alarming statistics do not even include the bullying of students with disabilities and LGBTQ students”, according to the Sun Sentinel (October 2017).
To reduce these numbers and reinforce the positive, many artists shared stories, encouraging words and inspiring songs at this Free2Luv UNSTOPPABLE Youth Empowerment Event.
Bianca Kajlich asked everyone to shut their eyes while she read a letter to self that included; “What if every judgement we ever had was an invitation to forgive ourselves? What if all of your doubts and reservations were like seeds in the wind, and no matter where they blew, somehow flowers would bloom? I love you all, and I extend this invitation to go out into the world with kindness and love in your hearts for all. Thank you.”
Singer/Songwriter GabrieLA sang empowering songs such as “Broken Ones”, “Masterpiece”, “Titanium”, “Born This Way”, “Perfect” and the “Free2Luv Anthem” to fans dancing and singing along.
NBC The Voice’s Stephanie Rice shared her personal story about how the movie “Into The Wild” inspired her to write the song “Cold Water”; “There’s one scene in the movie where he falls into a river, and he almost doesn’t make it out. I remember that moment thinking, my gosh, he might not make it. And you know I was kicked out of my home, but I came out and that moment in my life was when I felt like I had fallen into the river, and I might not make it out. And I immediately picked up my guitar. I wrote this song, and then I wanted to sing it. It’s dedicated to anyone who’s going through a tough time and feels like they need to be rescued.”
And LoveSea The Poet, shared relatable words that so many teenagers experience in a poem written by Tonya Sandis; “Stand out, be you, echoed in my head as if it were an anthem which I embraced to what I thought was my voice. I did. I walked to my own beat until my drum boomed with hate, until it became the dreaded scarlet letter W, weird, freak, loser….Slowly but surely, I was beaten down…If you would try harder to fit in, buy the latest fashion, grow up for God’s sake, and please grow your hair out, then you just might have a chance to fit in, be like the other girls.”
In addition to these performances, Free2Luv Co-Founder Tonya Sandis was honored with a Golden Goody Award (top humanitarian award) presented by the Goody Awards (full disclosure, founded by this story writer Liz H Kelly) and GabrieLA. In accepting the award, Sandis emphasized, “I am honored and humbled on behalf of the sheroes and the heroes that we hold hands with every year to uplift and empower young people, who sometimes are struggling with their sexuality or they’re being bullied. And we know the power of music and the arts.”
Additional Free2Luv celebrity partners include Gabrielle Anwar, Tom Arnold, Jake T Austin, Mayim Bialik, Challen Cates, Gabriella Christian, Jonathan Davis, Fran Drescher, Jason Drucker, Carmen Electra, Joel Geleynse, Ed Hale, Patricia Hastie, Ddenyl Hoyt, Vanessa Hudgens, Ryan Khan, Carson Kressley, Lisa Kudrow, Bianca Lawson, Tea Leoni, Audra McLaughlin, Jeri Ryan, Analeigh Tipton, and Anna Todd.
The event closed with GabrieLA singing the Free2Luv song with a standing ovation. And everyone left dedicated to spreading more love and kindness in the world. Free2Luv believes that if every girl felt supported, embraced, and empowered to rock her authentic, we can change the world, together.
Many thanks to Free2Luv, the talent who donated their time, Alaska Airlines for providing two round-trip tickets worldwide for auction, and all the volunteers and sponsors who made this event possible. And for more behind-the-scenes updates, follow @LizHKelly.
