Thursday marked the announcement of Mendes’ $1 million commitment to Wonder of Music
Shawn Mendes is committed to making a difference.
On Thursday, PEOPLE can exclusively announce that the Wonder singer is launching a music therapy program called Wonder of Music, at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto.
The $1 million commitment from the Shawn Mendes Foundation will support various music therapy activities including songwriting, music education, and the creation of original pieces of music set to the sounds of a patient’s heartbeat.
For Mendes, helping children in need was a no-brainer.
“SickKids is a very special place to me and my hometown of Toronto, and I’m so honoured to support such an important program,” Mendes, 24, said in a press release.
He continued, “Music has made such a profound impact in my life and is no doubt a form of therapy to me. I can only hope the Wonder of Music Program will help SickKids patients, families, and staff benefit from its power as well.”
The singer-songwriter was first inspired after witnessing the SickKids music therapy program — and he only plans to expand them further. Currently, music therapists work with infants, children and youth through individualized music sessions, and songwriting designed to help patients cope with their time in the hospital.
“We are so grateful to Shawn and The Shawn Mendes Foundation Canada for their incredible support of SickKids and the music therapy program,” said Carolyn Marshall, Certified Music Therapist, The Hospital for Sick Children in the release.
She added, “For many children and families in the hospital, music therapy is an opportunity to express and process a complex range of emotions – such as anger, hurt, happiness, fear or hope – in a creative way. This generous gift will allow us to continue to support our patients through music.”
In honor of the announcement, the “Summer of Love” singer also revealed a line of Martin guitars, made with FSC-certified sustainable wood and recycled features. The guitars are on sale as of Thursday and a portion of the proceeds will go to Wonder of Music.
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The Shawn Mendes Foundation — which was founded in 2019 — seeks to amplify, empower, and uplift youth change makers, their organizations, and their work.
In 2020, the foundation donated $175,000 to SickKids in support of COVID-19 relief for children in the singer’s hometown of Toronto.
“The @shawnfoundation & I have been working to find ways to best support COVID-19 relief efforts, and to direct our resources to where we can make a difference,” he wrote on Instagram at the time. “We’ve made a donation to @sickkidssvs hospital this week to help support the urgent screening and prevention of COVID-19 in my hometown of Toronto.”
The “Treat You Better” singer recently canceled his world tour to “ground myself” and focus on his mental health after postponing three weeks of shows.
“It has become more clear that I need to take the time I’ve never taken personally, to ground myself and come back stronger,” he wrote in a statement. “I unfortunately have to cancel the rest of the tour dates in North America, and the UK/Europe.”
“We were hopeful that I might be able to pick up with the rest of the dates after some much-needed time off, but at this time I have to put my health as my first priority. This doesn’t mean I won’t be making new music, and I can’t wait to see you on tour in the future,” Mendes added.
Meanwhile, a source told PEOPLE that Mendes is “getting help” for his mental health, explaining: “Shawn is a very sensitive and caring guy.”
“When he gets frustrated with things around him, he turns inward and suffers,” the insider added. “He said he is getting help so that is admirable.”
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