A Day of Music at 100 Acre Brewing Will Support Men’s Mental Health Programs

By Scott Arnold

An all-day fundraiser on September 26th will bring music, food and community together while raising money for programs supporting veterans, military members and first responders.

shawn brennan is one of the organizers for brewfest which is happening at 100 acre brewing company on ashburnham drive from 1-8pm on saturday, september 26th. (photo by scott arnold)

There will be plenty happening at 100 Acre Brewing on Saturday, September 26th, but the reason behind the day goes much deeper than a concert.

The brewery will host an all-day fundraising event supporting Grounded Warriors and FNV Ranch, two organizations providing mental health programs for veterans, military members and first responders.

The event runs from 1-8pm and will feature live performances from Ty Wilson, Brad Renaud, Jeanne Truax, Gunslingers, Spectre Gunship and Four on the Floor, along with raffle tables, food, a cornhole tournament and plenty of time for people to simply get together.

The cornhole tournament gets underway at 3pm, with a $1,000 prize. Anyone looking to take part must pre-register by emailing dreamteamconcerts@gmail.com.

For organizer Shawn Brennan, however, the day is about something much more important than the entertainment.

Brennan has been organizing fundraising efforts supporting mental health programs for veterans and first responders for about eight years. What started with events such as the Rock and Dive eventually grew to include an annual golf tournament at Highlands Military Base in Ottawa, and this year's event came together with Port Hope Police Chief Tim Farquharson and Brian Coones.

Brennan's involvement in the cause began with a deeply personal experience.

His father was a first responder in Peterborough and, like many responders of his generation, had his own methods of coping.

"My dad was a responder here in Peterborough and like the responders of that era, they had their methods of coping," Brennan said. "Unfortunately, that method took him. The body couldn't hold up to it."

Then several friends who had gone into service also passed away.

"One of them, you know, two weeks out from sitting with him behind my house at a fire, that's when I thought, how do we address this?" Brennan said. "Hey, I had no clue, no experience, but eight years later, here we are."

Since then, the fundraising efforts have helped give more than 150 responders an opportunity to take part in different programs.

"We're making some form of impact," Brennan said. "We're getting the messaging out. We're able to raise some money to help some organizations operate."

The need for programs that support those dealing with operational stress injuries and PTSD has been made particularly clear in recent weeks.

Three Canadian police officers died by suicide within days of one another in August, including members of Hamilton Police and Durham Regional Police on August 11th and August 12th, followed by an RCMP officer in Alberta on August 13th.

For Brennan, those losses reinforced why the work continues.

"Losing one is too many, but 357, the daily rate is still holding pretty strong," he said.

He believes encouraging access to mental health programs is important, but so is something much simpler.

"I think that we need to encourage programs and encourage accessibility of these programs," Brennan said. "But the biggest thing is encourage checking on each other every day, regardless of your environment, your day, that little bit of extra, like, 'Hey, how you doing today?' can mean a lot."

That message will be part of the event, which will begin with a mindfulness exercise before moving into the music and activities planned throughout the afternoon.

One of the organizations benefiting from the fundraiser is FNV Ranch, which offers a 10-day horseback PTSD program in the Rocky Mountains for veterans, military members and first responders. The program takes participants into a remote setting and is led by an experienced former operator and a psychologist.

The other is Grounded Warriors, which offers a two-day, off-grid mindfulness program in Marmora that includes hot and cold therapy and exercises designed to help participants reset their nervous system.

Brennan said the goal is to split the funds raised between the two organizations after the costs of putting on the event and paying the performers are covered.

The music lineup will include artists from different backgrounds, including Spectre Gunship, a band made up entirely of former Canadian special forces members.

There will also be plenty happening away from the stage, with raffle tables, food and the 3pm cornhole tournament.

Brennan hopes families will come out, enjoy the day and take in the message behind it without the event feeling overly formal.

"We want to see families in here," he said. "You know, they can understand the messaging that's here, participate in the day and socialize. It's going to be great food. I think all together it'll be a great day."

For those who cannot attend, Brennan says the organizations involved also accept donations throughout the year.

He points out that the organizations are volunteer-run, meaning the money raised helps cover the costs associated with getting people into these programs.

"These are truly volunteer organizations where 100% of the revenue is utilized to take individuals out," he said. "The unfortunate side of doing this stuff is there is a cost associated with it. And that's what we're trying to mitigate for them."

For everyone coming to 100 Acre Brewing on September 26th, though, the day is also an opportunity to simply be together.

"People see people, friends see friends," Brennan said. "Let's just catch up and have a good day."

And underneath all of it is a simple goal: helping make sure the people who spend their lives looking after others have somewhere to turn when they need help themselves.

The fundraising concert takes place Saturday, September 26th from 1-8pm at 100 Acre Brewing.

Scott Arnold is a Journalist and Content Creator at PTBOCanada Media Inc

Engage with us on social media on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, Tiktok, Youtube and LinkedIn. Write to us at tips@ptbocanada.com. Sign up for our newsletter here.