Demi Lovato brings Florida school shooting survivors onstage at San Diego concert
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Singer Demi Lovato performs "If I Can't Have You" during the taping of the Stayin' Alive: A Grammy Salute to the Music of the Bee Gees in Los Angeles, Calif., Feb. 14, 2017. (Reuters)
Demi Lovato brought survivors of the Parkland, Fla., school shooting onstage during her San Diego concert this week.
Six students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, who survived the Feb. 14 attack that killed 17 people, shared the stage with Lovato on Monday night in the first concert of her Tell Me You Love Me World Tour, the New York Daily News reported.
“I want to make sure their voices are being heard and we can provide them with the mental health and post trauma care they need,” Lovato said in statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The students -- Julius Castillo, Mackenzie Marie Chapman, Samantha Megan Deitsch, Maia Hebron, Eden Hebron and Sarah Stricker -- wore maroon shirts that said “MSD Strong” in bold white letters, the report said.
"These are the brave survivors who are working with us to heal their community," the pop singer said onstage, 10 News San Diego reported.
The 25-year-old vocalist sang "Warrior" and said the show was "incredibly special" in a statement.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“It was such an honor to meet them and hear their courageous stories," she said.
She urged fans to donate to the CAST Foundation, a non-profit organization part of CAST (Comprehensive Assistance Support Treatment) Centers for mental health and wellness; she said the money would go to support students in Florida, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
She also hosted a CAST on Tour pre-concert group therapy session with the MSD shooting survivors, the newspaper reported.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lovato attended a CAST center during her battle with substance abuse and now a co-owner, the Daily News reported.
The singer was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2010 and spent three months in treatment that year for drug abuse, bulimia and a self-harming disorder, the Union-Tribune reported.
Lovato told the newspaper about her mental health education and awareness efforts.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Some people like to keep it private, and that’s totally their choice. But, for me, I see the importance of sharing my story and speaking out,” she said.