Author and “Mental Health Champion” Ralph Byrant Hopes Rare Prince Albums And A Go Fund Me Will Finance Van Tour -And Local Mental Illness Programs
On Saturday, April 10th, one of the first garage sales in Niagara of the season will also be for a worthy cause. The Bubba Garage Sale will raise money and awareness for mental illness. It was created by Ralph Bryant, a Grimsby resident, who in two weeks will be embarking on a trip of a lifetime.
“I have loved my time in Grimsby, but it’s time for a new adventure,” the writer and content creator said. “The garage sale will be a great way to say goodbye while raising money to local support mental health programs.”
Ralph, who completed his book, Shackles Lost: The Poetry Mixtape while living in Grimsby, will be selling all his possessions to fund the Bubba Van Tour for Mental Health, a provincial, and eventually, national tour to raise money and awareness for mental illness. Ralph hopes to visit every possible province in his 2005 Chevrolet Express campervan, which has been converted to sustainably converted into his new home on wheels, including solar panels and a compost toilet. He will travel the country with his dog, King T’Challa. His two boys, Justin and Xavier, aged 12 and 10, will even join him for parts of the trip.
The proceeds of the Bubba Garage Sale will support Samehere Global, a movement to normalize the mental health conversation, Canadian Mental Health Association, Niagara office, which has been providing mental health services for over 50 years, and the Brock University Student Justice Coalition, which develops workshops for university students. At Brock SJC, we know that all the justice work we do is directly linked to our mental health,” said, Bhonita Singh, treasurer of SJC and a board member of the Ontario Public Interest Research Group. “Spreading awareness of mental illness is the most important thing we can do right now.”
Items for sale during the garage sale will include kitchen pots and pans to furniture and
power tools. Perhaps the most interesting element of the garage sale is five Prince vinyl album covers (Parade, Purple Rain, Lovesexy, The Black Album, and a limited edition box set of B sides, amongst a few other items). Those albums will be sold via Galabid and the winner will be announced during the garage sale. “Along with my Pez dispensers, these album covers are my prized possessions,” said Ralph, who doesn’t remember ever actually playing them. “I hope they find good homes.”
The van tour is named after Ralph’s mother, Linda, whose schizophrenic alter ego was named Bubba Ocean. The tour comes on the 25th anniversary of her death. “My mom lived a hard life, died young, and one of her regrets was that she never got to travel. Now with Bubba, she will get to see the country.” Ralph hopes to visit most of the provinces by September, saving some experiences for the winter months.
People can support the van tour by visiting Ralph’s gofundme page, https://www.gofundme.com/f/bubba-the-love-van-tour-for-mental-illness?qid=5dae608a21ab4dc2acd5097000e0d7de , to donate. People and businesses can also make in-kind donations of travel-related resources (air and gas miles, food and travel vouchers, park memberships, etc), and support on the road with unique places to visit and park, and opportunities to meet with mental health organizations. To thank people for their donations, Ralph will be making the e-books of each of his three books, Shackles Lost: The Poetry Mixtape, Lady Ms. Sneezy’s Most Unfortunate Covid Snot Assault, and Senses, available for free by emailing ralphbryantwriter@gmail.com
For more information about the tour, visit blackfathersmedia.com. For more information on the organizations supported by the Bubba Van Tour, see below:
• Samehere Global: https://samehereglobal.org/
• Canadian Mental Health Association, Niagara office: https://niagara.cmha.ca/ • Brock University Student Justice Coalition: https://www.facebook.com/BrockSJC/
