Ritz Fest supporting The Jason Foundation
The Jason Foundation

About Ritz Fest

Ritz Fest


Ritz Fest is South Carolina's ONLY annual youth suicide prevention benefit concert held the first Saturday in February. 


Through theater performances, short films and live music, our event aims to raise awareness for youth suicide prevention and funds for The Jason Foundation, Inc, a non-profit based on Tennessee that provides training and resources to fight a silent epidemic, youth suicide. They offer one option for South Carolina middle and high school teachers to receive professional learning on suicide awareness to meet certification requirements.  

According to the CDC in South Carolina:

  • ​Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death for middle and high school ages. 
  • We lose a young person (ages 10 - 24) to suicide every 4 days within the state. 
  • 41% of high school youth indicated that they may be clinically depressed. 
  • Over 1 out of every 10 said they attempted suicide in the past twelve months. 

These sobering facts highlight the reason Ritz Fest needs to continue with our success. 

Be sure to check out the Newberry Community Players' webpage to learn about all the great events throughout the year. We fall under their 501(c)(3).​​

We have dedicated our fundraising efforts to go to The Jason Foundation (JFI), who use ~98% of their donations to go to programming to help teachers and others who work with youth to recognize signs to help prevent the silent epidemic of youth suicide.

We have set a $15,000 fundraising goal for JFI by the end of February 2026. Help us!

Here's how we hope to meet that $15,000 fundraising goal for JFI::

  • sales from tickets, concessions, raffles, and silent auction,

  • cash donations during our events,

  • and your generous donations directly to JFI. CLick the donate button at the top of this page or go to our FAQ page to learn how to make a donation TODAY!


    • Go to our Our Performers/Schedule page for details.




    Date

    Starts at:  February 7, 2026 1:45 PM
    Ends at:  February 7, 2026 8:00 PM

    Location

    Ritz Theatre
    1513 Main Street
    Newberry,SC 29108 USA

    Contact

    Steve Corsini
    803-271-0494
    theritzfest@gmail.com


    How your Support Makes a Difference

    The Jason Foundation, Inc. (JFI) is dedicated to the awareness and prevention of youth and young adult suicide by providing educational programs and resources that empower students, parents, educators, and the community to be better able to recognize and assist at-risk individuals.

    JFI believes that awareness and education are the first steps to prevention. We want to establish a Triangle of Prevention by providing students, parents and teachers the tools and resources to help identify and help at-risk youth. This is accomplished through a curriculum unit for students and informational seminars for teachers and parents. The programs provide resources to accomplish this goal. The materials are easy to use and are intended to provide educational information. There is no intent to diagnose or treat suicidal ideation. JFI’s intention is to empower youth, educators and parents to help recognize when young people are in pain and know to get professional help involved as soon as possible.



    Thank you for your support!