From The Tribune staff reports
LEEDS — Local business owner and inspirational speaker Mark Lucas will be featured in an episode of Hope Givers shown nationwide this month to promote positive mental health.
Produced by Georgia Public Broadcasting, Hope Givers highlights hope and resilience across America, with each episode spotlighting an individual or group that has eschewed adversity and focused instead on having a positive impact on their community.
That describes Mark Lucas, owner of the Music Room in the Leeds community located east of Birmingham and subject of Episode 5 in the eight-episode series. The musician risked never playing music again when he underwent risky brain surgery at age 20 to put an end to seven years of epileptic seizures – and it worked.
After graduating from Jacksonville State University with a bachelor’s degree in music, Lucas opened The Music Room and The Music Room Foundation with a therapeutic outlook, providing music lessons and therapy for others needing it. An accomplished musician, award-winning lyricist and expert percussionist, he brings hope and joy to his students. His mentor on this journey over the last six years has been President and CEO of the Presbyterian Home for Children Doug Marshall. The former CFO of United Ability and Alabama Family Trust, Marshall has continued to invest his energy with Lucas to help open doors to significantly impact the lives of individuals with physical or intellectual disabilities across Alabama and beyond.
Hope Givers debuted Sept. 21 and the mental health and wellness-centered program also will be made available to schools across the country thanks to a partnership with the Georgia Department of Education.
Hope Givers is a nonprofit based in Atlanta that is committed to creating and producing meaningful content that uplifts the human spirit. While the series will be distributed by GPB, it will be made available nationwide through PBS LearningMedia this month. Hope Givers will be Health Standards Aligned for Excellence and available to use in middle school and high school classrooms across the country free of charge.
“As Georgia’s educators, students, and families continue to face challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, resources that address mental wellness are more important than ever,” said GPB Director of Education Laura Evans. “GPB is thrilled to be able to offer Hope Givers with Tamlin Hall as part of our already robust collection of free digital learning resources.”