Musicfest Honors Young Jersey Musician This Weekend

Connor Petras was a talented musician who was beloved by his family and friends alike. He was a self-taught bass player and music was his passion. He loved his music community, especially his bandmates. Connor also suffered from depression, and unfortunately could not see himself as others did. He was a caring, gentle, and kind person. His mental health issues unfortunately led to substance use, which contributed to his untimely passing at 28 years old. A Musicfest In His Honor On August 17, 20 bands and musicians are coming together in an all-day music fest to celebrate Connor. The goal is to raise awareness for mental health and fundraise for Operation K9 Beethoven. This nonprofit was chosen because Connor loved animals, volunteered in a shelter, and would be so proud that this cause is being supported in his name. Where The Proceeds Are Going Brian Reyngoudt is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Operation K9 Beethoven. Brian along with Arpi Kertesz started Operation K9 Beethoven with a small vision. Before they knew it, it turned into a bigger and better mission than they could have ever imagined. Their Mission statement is to utilize Specially Trained and Certified Emotional Support Dogs to promote health, hope, and healing. They accomplish this mission by establishing and communicating standards of practice for using specially trained animals in healthcare settings such as Veterans Hospitals, Rehabilitation Facilities, and more. They also provide emotional support dogs to veterans and first responders who suffer from PTSD, depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders at no cost to the recipient, including a welcome-home package. Reyngoudt and Kertesz met in January 2020. Reyngoudt’s family was donating kennels to Kertesz and started to discuss helping Veterans by bringing Kertesz’s personal certified Therapy Dog “Beethoven” to visit the local Veterans Home. From that moment on, Kertesz and Reyngoudt became great friends. Kertesz began visiting the Veterans’ Home with Reyngoudt, guiding, and helping him spread Beethoven’s love. It all started with the simple thought of bringing the happiness, joy, and love of animals to Veterans unable to have a pet of their own. Kertesz and Beethoven embarked on a journey that changed their lives and continues to do so. In September 2020, Kertesz asked a Marine Corps Veteran to help with creating a video to spread and bring awareness to Veterans’ Suicide. His friend, a veteran with PTSD, Depression, and Anxiety who was hospitalized due to a suicide attempt, was more than willing to do his part to help. He was asked what he hoped would come from this video, and he replied, “I want to spread awareness to the families of Veterans about the signs of Suicide, and I’d like to see every Veteran that suffers from mental health issues receive an Emotional Support Dog free of charge.” View this profile on Instagram Operation K9 Beethoven (@operation_k9_beethoven) • Instagram photos and videos That statement caused a spark, which turned into a raging inferno in Kertesz’s heart and mind. Kertesz contacted his dog trainer to obtain more knowledge about training rescue dogs to be Emotional Support Dogs for our Heroes. Each dog selected for entry into Operation K9 Beethoven’s Program is fully vetted, temperament-tested, and socialized with dogs, cats, children, and adults to ensure they will be a good fit for our program. They are then transported to their trainer for obedience and leash training. Once training is complete, they’re transported to their Fur-Ever Hero. The dogs from the Rescues are given a second chance at life and can then help Veterans and First Responders get the love, and support they deserve. What started as one man and his dog working toward helping bring love and joy to Veterans has now become the organization known as Operation K9 Beethoven committed to helping Veterans, and First Responders, “One Paw At A Time.” Interview with Operation K9 Beethoven Co-Founder Brian Reyngoudt Check out their website here. Check out Joel’s interview with Brian to find out how you can help [audio mp3="https://wmtram.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2024/08/Brian-Reyngoudt_1723561691_.mp3"][/audio]