Cyndi Lauper Shows Love For Mental Health During Holidays

She may be unusual, but she is joining the movement to make mental health a very usual topic of conversation. Cyndi Lauper recently announced she's participating in the #NotAloneChallenge. The initiative works to help raise awareness as well as funds for mental health resources. The funds will go toward providing mental health services to those who can't afford them. The initiative is especially focused on the holidays, when times are most difficult for many people.

In a post she put on her Instagram page this week, the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun singer said she is joining the #NotAloneChallenge to remind people they are not alone and to help them get access to mental health resources. She then challenged her fans to spread the word. The challenge encourages people to join by making a 30-second video and then inviting at least two people to join as well.

The #NotAloneChallenge mental health campaign was co-founded by singer songwriter Jewel, for her Inspiring Children Foundation. And the campaign has become one of the most wide-reaching mental health campaigns in history (inspiringchildren.org). Other musicians who have joined the movement include Andrea Bocelli, Kelly Clarkson, and Lionel Richie. Actors who have joined include Chevy Chase, Mayim Bialik, Lynda Carter, Emma Thompson and Goldie Hawn. Professional athletes and many other influential people have also joined the challenge.

One way that the initiative raises funds is through a silent auction. Which includes top destination getaways, Master Classes, dinners with celebrities, and more. Jewel herself has included a dinner with the singer before her concert. Comedian Sarah Silverman has put a meet and greet in the auction. And former Las Vegas mayor Oscar Goodman has also offered an auction item.

To join the movement, participants are encouraged to create a 30-second video and then invite at least two people to join as well. More information is available at inspiringchildren.org.

-Wendy Rush, 96.3KKLZ

First off, let me start by saying that this column is not supposed to be sad for the holidays, it’s supposed to be uplifting. I hope it helps.

The holidays are a tough time of year for those of us who have very few family members left, and have even lost family members this year.

When we were little kids spending our summers running through the sprinklers, then after that waiting anxiously for December, so we could finally tell Santa Claus what we wanted for Christmas, we never dreamed of a time that all of those people in our lives then, might not still be in our lives now.

My mom passed away 10 years ago, and that day is a sad day each year. But my father used to say, “Carlie, we always remember the sad dates and anniversaries better than we remember the good ones.” He said, not long before he died, that “we should do something positive to mark those sad dates, and turn them into something enjoyable! ”

It’s hard to think of anything but the sadness, and those we've lost, around the holidays, but I now try my damnedest to celebrate them, and focus on the most memorable times with them - which would probably mean nothing to anyone else.

One of the earliest Christmas's and Christmas gifts I remember getting from "Santa parents" - and one of the best - was my prized Woodburning set! At a whopping eight years old, I truly thought Woodburning was going to be the career for me! Until I decided to find out what would happen if I put the woodburning pen to the green shag carpet. If you don’t already know, 1970’s era shag carpet burned - more like melted - very easily, because there is nothing natural about it. It’s basically just one big synthetic forest.

I was reminded of that for years every time I raked the shag carpeting, because there was a permanent burn mark right near the couch, where I tested my skills. Safe to say I did not become a professional wood burner - if there is even such a thing.

But the next year, when I got my Easy Bake Oven, I knew I would be a professional chef! Until the “cooking element” *lightbulb* went out, and I thought I could just replace it with any old bulb. It didn’t work, and my little tiny muffins never cooked. However, I am a pretty damn good cook – no thanks to my easy bake oven.

My "Chrissy" doll, whose hair magically grew with the push of a button - and a yank of the hair - made me think about becoming the next "Vidal Sassoon!" Until I decided to cut and style her hair. My "Chrissy" doll was now my "Chrissy with a pixie" doll, and she didn't have much hair to magically grow.

Let's not even talk about the ballet classes - have you seen me dance?

Those silly holiday memories , birthday memories, and various occasions are etched in my brain, just as your own are, and believe it or not - those are what help me smile around the holidays. Sometimes not as much as I would like to, but each year more than I thought I would.

So, if you feel like you need help smiling this time of year, think back to one of those earliest, smallest memories, and whoever it was that gave you those memories. Raise a glass to them, have a meal in their honor, or just smile through the tears at the the memory itself.

Cheers, and happy holidays!

Not like you need to see these, but allow me to share some pictures of  "little Carla." Enjoy your eggnog!

-Carla Rea

Today that crib would be considered a "death trap." But back then it was my little safe haven.

Must have been a fancy affair, at the neighbor's.

Every little girl had the pink spongy curlers

Don't ask - I just knew that I had to have those go-go boots. And I was rocking them!

Easter fanciness, as I recall.

This was after I heard about, and saw a Picasso. I wanted to be an abstract painter. Notice the supplies in my painter's apron.

Me with Linda, Loretta, and Lisa. Still three of my dearest friends today. Our families did every holiday together for years!

After a day of running through the sprinklers, nothing better than ice cream!

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