About Manny's Band Foundation

Beyond Awareness:

Changing the Paradigm, Saving Lives

The Atlanta-based Manny's Band Foundation was created by the family of Manny Pargman—a talented musician who died by suicide at 18—to leverage music and the arts to reduce teen suicides and transform how we approach mental health.  As with a physical health issue, eliminating suicide requires both prevention and early detection.

What sets Manny's Band apart

  • Beyond Awareness to Action: Our focus is to move beyond awareness and acknowledging the mental health crisis to compelling personal action. Manny's Band transforms the perception from "suicide is not my problem" to "suicide is not, NOT my problem," shifting parents, and peers beyond passive awareness to active prevention.

  • Youth-Driven Messaging: Traditional suicide prevention often fails to reach the most vulnerable audiences because of "top-down" approaches that are unrelatable. We facilitate the creation of content –created by youth for youth– through the channels they naturally consume, making the message relatable and actionable.