MUSCATINE, Iowa–While talking together, friends Chase SyWassink and Andrew “Skippy” Armstrong found that mental health concerns had impacted them and many people they knew in profound ways. Because people, especially men, encounter stigmatization when they talk about their mental health, SyWassink and Armstrong knew people do not always get the care they need to feel better and lead fulfilling lives. The pair wanted to change that and hosted their first Reaching Out benefit concert for the National Alliance on Mental Illness’s (NAMI’s) Greater Mississippi Valley Branch in October of 2021. “We decided to get active, and this was the most active thing we could do,” SyWassink explained.
Wanting to continue their support for this cause and to help more Muscatine County residents get the mental health services and education they need, Armstron and SyWassink will hold their second Reaching Out benefit Aug. 27 at the Missippi Brew, located at 107 Iowa Avenue in Muscatine. With a longer run time and even more bands than before, both organizers hope this year’s concert will garner even more support for a worthy cause.
Regardless of the weather, the show will go on for Reaching Out. If the weather proves fair, the concert will take place in the Brew’s beer garden. If the weather does not cooperate, SyWassink assures attendees that the event will take place indoors out of the weather.
Muscatine’s own Joey Pete will open the show followed by Muscatine’s own hit metal band Eugene Levy. The show’s main act, Fueled by Emo, will perform next, paying tribute to two of the most popular emo bands, Fallout Boy and Paramore. Music lovers can enjoy all of these bands for only a $10 cover charge, all of which will go to NAMI.
Throughout the evening, attendees can enter into a raffle for one of four baskets with fun themes and even more fun items inside them. From the City Basket, which features vouchers or gift certificate for local favorites such as Skinny’s Barbeque, Feather Your Nest Interiors, Carriage House Carpet One, and Salon Incognito, as well as several Evo products, to the Early Riser Basket, featuring gift cards to some of the best breakfast spots around, including the Muscatine Waffle and Pancake House, Big Cat’s Café, and the Coffee Belt, anyone wanting to purchase raffle tickets at $2 a piece will find something to get excited about while also supporting a great cause.
Once Reaching Out starts at 5:30 p.m., the Brew will also donate a portion of all their sales to NAMI, making it easy for everyone to support the event’s mission to make mental health resources easier to come by. With so much to do and several hours for people to drop in and enjoy it, SyWassink anticipates having an even larger crowd than last year. “We’re starting early so that people can bring their families and enjoy some food.”
At their first Reaching Out event, SyWassink and Armstrong raised $3,000 for NAMI, and they would like to exceed that number this year. “I personally want to double that,” said SyWassink.
SyWassink also would like to keep growing Reaching out and possibly have some smaller related events throughout the year to assist NAMI in serving even more Muscatine County residents. “Mental health has always been an issue, but it’s been more apparent since lockdown,” SyWassink observed. “We want everyone to be good.”
