In August of last year, I wrote an article about my cousin, Tyler Joyce, who tragically passed away in 2021, and the nonprofit organization I founded in his memory. A month after his death, I launched the nonprofit organization, which aimed to raise awareness for addiction, anxiety, and depression. That’s when I started the Shooting Stars Project, intended to educate the public by sharing informative content and personal stories from individuals who have confronted these challenges. The hope is to foster understanding, reduce stigma, and provide valuable insight and support for those affected. One of the goals is to create a more-informed and compassionate community that can better address and support addiction recovery and mental health. After a brief hiatus, I decided to refocus my efforts on the cause. The first step was launching the Northshore Recovery High School Donation Fund, with the goal of raising $2,000 for the organization. Aside from donations, I decided to launch a limited-edition shirt, in which 100 percent of the proceeds would go to said fund. With the sales of the shirts, it helped raise more than $300, which brought the total amount raised to $553, leaving the goal short of $929.
With more money to raise, and how quickly the first shirt release sold out, I knew that another limited-edition release was something that would come around in the future. I knew it would be video game themed as video games were something Tyler and I bonded over growing up. After talking to Tyler’s little brother, Tre’jon Baity, he told me our grandfather would call Tyler by the name of Luigi when he was younger. His mother, Joyce Valente, would tell me that was because our grandfather couldn’t remember the name Tyler. Although he didn’t call him Luigi based on the Mario series, it felt fitting to have a shirt inspired by Luigi from the series since we played a lot of Mario games when we were younger – one of them being the Mario Kart series.
I’m excited to announce the second shirt release for The Shooting Stars Project, featuring a Mario Kart-inspired design. This shirt is the result of a collaboration with Bridgeport, Connecticut artist Jay ★, who illustrated the design, and An Obstruction of Art, our talented shirt vendor based in Everett. As with the last shirt, 100 percent of proceeds will be put toward the Northshore Recovery High School Donation Fund. Shirts come in sizes ranging from small to extra large and can be purchased on the SSP website for $25 plus shipping. This time around, I was fortunate enough to get some of the shirts out for sale in public. There will be a very limited quantity of shirts in each size at the following locations: Mvhco’s Room located on 545 Washington St. in Lynn (open Sundays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the second floor) and the Item Cafe located on 38 Exchange St., also in Lynn. When purchased at these in-person locations, the shirt will only cost $20. I’d like to thank Carolina Cubero, Ferns Francois, Marco Collins, and Eddie Dosanjos for volunteering their time to model the shirt.
Rare. Beautiful. Divine.
You are on the right path.
