RUTLAND, Vt. (WCAX) – An aspiring Rutland County musician is channeling her talents to raise money for a cause that’s personal — the recent loss of a friend to an overdose.
“He was a really kindhearted, sweet guy, and we just had a lot of fun together. I mean, we kind of got into a little bit of trouble, but that’s what best friends do, right?” said Breanna Elaine, who lost her close friend Jeremy in 2022.
Elaine distilled those raw emotions into the soon to be released song “Where the Snakes Live.” “I was obviously grieving. I was in a dark place and just writing and music has always been my main way of processing. So, I wasn’t really thinking much, I was just trying to get it out,” she said.
Wanting to make a difference, Elaine turned to the Turning Point Center of Rutland, a recovery and support center for people battling addiction. She’s donating five percent of money raised in a crowd funding campaign to Turning Point.
“It’s heavy for people, you know, especially when we lose a loved one, especially when they’re a good friend or a family member,” said the center’s Michael Daly. “Any donation, any grant, no matter how big or how small it is, anything is very grateful because that’s how we’re able to continue doing what we do.”
“I kind of decided at some point that I wanted to find a way to make the project bigger than myself and bigger than like just a song or song in memory.” Elaine said.
Elaine hopes to debut her song in August with a concert benefiting Turning Point.