Grammy-winning global superstar Pitbull and Boston Marathon bombing survivor Rebekah Gregory will headline the nonprofit ART International’s Brave B.A.S.H. (Building Advocates for Successful Healing) on Friday, Nov. 8. Multi-platinum recording artist Gavin DeGraw will perform at the event. Julius Tobin, the co-founder of onbikes, will serve as host.
Brave B.A.S.H. benefits ART International, a Tampa-based nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to Accelerated Resolution Therapy® (ART), an evidence-based treatment that has transformed the lives of tens of thousands of people with P.T.S.D., trauma, anxiety, depression and phobias, among other mental health conditions. The nonprofit was created by restauranteur Chris. T. Sullivan after he saw firsthand the life-changing potential of ART. ART International schedules more than 100 trainings for mental health clinicians each year and works to spread awareness of this rapid, highly effective therapy.
Pitbull is a musician, performer, entrepreneur and philanthropist whose career sales have exceeded 5 million albums and over 60 million singles worldwide. He has had #1 hits in more than 15 countries. The Florida native uses his massive social media following to promote positive thinking and personal growth.
Rebekah Gregory was standing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in 2013 when a bomb exploded three feet away, causing extensive injuries to her legs. She underwent 68 surgeries and doctors ultimately had to amputate her left leg. Rebekah used her experience to help other survivors, creating an Orlando-based nonprofit, Rebekah’s Angels, to enable children who have experienced trauma to access mental health care. Rebekah will be speaking about her personal experiences with ART, describing how the therapy has changed her life and those of the children served by her nonprofit. After just a few sessions of ART, Rebekah felt dramatically better. “The part that really resonated with me is that you’re rewriting the narrative of your worst experiences,” she said. “ART really helped me in areas where I didn’t realize I had residual trauma.”
Rebekah said ART helped her put the horrific events behind her. “I can talk about my experiences in a different way now because the trauma isn’t there,” she said.
Gavin DeGraw is a multi-platinum selling singer, performer and songwriter. He first broke through with the 2003 release of his debut album, Chariot, which sold over 1 million copies, earned platinum certification, and yielded three hit singles, one of which became the theme song for the television show One Tree Hill. Since then he released five additional studio albums and has been consistently touring around the world, including sold out dates with the legendary Billy Joel.
Julius Tobin co-founded the Tampa-based onbikes, which has provided bicycles for thousands of underprivileged children since 2011. The nonprofit raises money through joyous bicycle rides and uses the proceeds to provide lights for cyclists and help children who would otherwise be unable to own a bike.
Brave B.A.S.H. will take place on Nov. 8 at SHELTAIR Aviation in Tampa. Riverside Recovery of Tampa, a 68-bed holistic substance abuse treatment facility in Tampa, is sponsoring the VIP reception at 6 p.m. General admission begins at 7 p.m. and dinner and entertainment at 7:45 p.m.
To purchase a sponsorship or tickets to Brave B.A.S.H or for more information on ART International, please visit www.artherapyinternational.org or call (813) 435-1374.
