Baltic Street Wellness hosts “V.I.B.E.” jazz night to support mental health equity

In early December, Baltic Street Wellness Solutions brought music and mission together for “Valuing Inclusion, Belonging, and Equity (V.I.B.E.): An Evening of Jazz with Kevin Oliver Jr. Group.”

The evening's fundraiser at the Isaac Brown Healing Arts & Community Center in Industry City aimed to support health equity initiatives and holistic mental health and recovery services for some of New York’s most vulnerable residents, blending a soulful jazz performance with a shared commitment to wellness.

Baltic Street, a peer-run mental health organization with over 25 years of experience and a deep focus on community building, viewed the evening as an opportunity to highlight the role that creative expression and communal spaces can play in healing.

“The evolution of our mission is really about addressing social isolation,” said Taina Martinez-Laing, CEO of Baltic Street. “Connecting people to people is at the heart of what we do. Make the music your community because music is healing.”

At its core, the event was about building community, creating a space where people weren’t just mingling, but connecting and listening with purpose. Organizers say the event reflects their broader mission to expand access to culturally responsive mental health support, especially for New Yorkers navigating trauma, housing instability, or systemic barriers to care.

By pairing live jazz with conversations about wellness and equity, they hoped to create an atmosphere both restorative and energizing, a reminder that mental health work can also be a celebration of resilience and connection.

Attendees and advocates shared their own understandings of what therapy and health equity mean.

“Mental-health equity means meeting people where they are,” said Michael Nguyen, a community organizer and advocate for Community Links, a supported education program for people experiencing mental health challenges. “Eighty-five percent of people living with a mental-health diagnosis weren’t able to finish school due to various mental-health conditions, and that’s why support and access matter.”

Many saw the night as an opportunity to extend healing beyond the therapist’s couch and into shared community spaces, where art, conversation, and support could overlap.

“Music is therapy,” said Christina Sparrock, a mental-health advocate and NYC Mental Health Collective founder. “Everyone approaches mental health differently and events like this give people more than one way to heal.”

Others were drawn simply by the chance to enjoy live jazz close to home.

“I came because I love jazz, but I’m leaving with a deeper appreciation for how much this community shows up for each other,” said Marlene Ortiz, a Sunset Park resident. “Events like this make wellness feel less intimidating and more like something we can experience together.”

As Kevin Oliver Jr. Group moved through warm, improvisational sets, the room shifted between quiet reflection and lively applause. Guests drifted between the performance, wellness tables, and conversations with staff, creating an atmosphere that felt both soothing and celebratory. The band’s energy filled the space, creating moments of laughter, reflection, and collective appreciation for the music.

Organizers echoed that sentiment, emphasizing that the goal is to make mental health support feel accessible and community driven.

“We want people to experience joy and connection while also knowing that resources are here for them,” said Stacy Crow, strategist for Baltic Street Wellness Solutions. With performances, conversation, and shared intention, V.I.B.E. demonstrated how art and advocacy can strengthen one another.

Baltic Street offers peer-led services across New York City, including housing support, employment and education programs, advocacy, and wellness groups that help people experiencing mental health challenges build independent, self-directed lives in the community. For more information about programs, eligibility, and how to get connected, visit balticstreet.org.