An after-school program in Southwest Michigan is shining a ‘light’ on the mental health of students

After tragically losing his younger brother to suicide, this Michigander says he and his family are ‘making beauty from broken’ by teaming up with the Van Buren Intermediate School District. They’re making a free after-school program for local students—and it’s music to the rural community’s ears. 

Luc Schincariol made beautiful ideas come to life. 

After receiving bass guitar lessons at age 14, he began performing in the Paw Paw High School jazz band, played for the youth band at his church, and altogether loved music. 

When he graduated with honors in 2021, the Paw Paw resident was looking forward to studying filmmaking at Michigan State University that fall.  

However, like other kids across the US who said their mental health worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, Luc struggled behind closed doors.

“I feel like that age group, during COVID, got screwed. I feel like they got left behind in a way and we’re seeing that now,” said Luc’s brother, Trino Schincariol, in a recent interview with The ‘Gander.

On June 24, 2021, Luc attempted to take his own life. 

“He knew he made a mistake and miraculously was able to call for help,” said Trino. “He knew he wanted to live—he thought he was going to live, or else he wouldn’t have tried to get help.”

An ambulance arrived and took Luc to the hospital. He died less than a day later, surrounded by family, due to complications from his suicide attempt.

Mourning the loss of his brother, Trino felt lost. But then he saw a video that gave him an idea. 

“There’s a video I saw two days after my brother died. It’s Alice Cooper talking about creativity and fostering young people and what happens and how life-changing that can be,” Trino said.

He showed it to his family and several other caring community members, and it inspired them to take action.

Finding the light

Today, Luc’s Light Youth Music & Arts Foundation is a free after-school program that gives teens in Southwest Michigan tools and training to explore their creative interests in a safe and supportive environment. 

Luc’s Light was established in January of 2022—less than a year after Luc’s death. 

“Our family, we say we’re making ‘beauty from broken’ doing this—making sure that kids know that they have a place to go,” Trino said. 

Trino said that his community has rallied around Luc’s Light since. The organization has received multiple financial donations from private donors, families, and businesses that want to support its mission. 

The Van Buren Intermediate School District—home to Luc’s alma mater, Paw Paw High School—also sees the goodness Luc’s Light brings to the region. They’ve partnered to connect the organization with band, choir, and theater directors in the county who are interested in volunteering to teach students. 

“They’ve been amazing helping us push this out, getting this in front of the right students,” Trino said.

The ISD is also planning to help with transportation—which will be especially important once Luc’s Light builds its first location in 2025. 

“I’m for this space to be something that these kids care about and feel a sense of ownership—that this is theirs,” Trino said. “And I really think that this is going to change the town even more for the better.”

They’ve also had some start-up help from President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act—also known as ARPA. That was the COVID-19 relief act Biden passed soon after taking office, which gave federal funding to local communities to develop pandemic recovery programs.

After applying for an ARPA grant, Trino says Luc’s Light learned they’d be awarded a percentage of funding. It’ll allow them to accommodate more students and additional programming. 

“[The] ARPA funding and partnership with the [Van Buren] ISD helps a ton with being able to purchase equipment and to keep things going,” said Trino. He added that the ARPA funding will be used to cover big-ticket items for students, pay instructors, and for the cost of transportation—eliminating one of the major physical barriers rural students may face when attending after-school programs.

“It’s really neat to see students—sometimes for the first time—performing in front of a group,” he said. “We had our first big gala last year, and we had students perform for the first time in front of anybody, which was really neat.”

It’s the kind of art exploration that makes students excited to be part of something bigger, Trino noted. “We’re teaching rock and roll. They played ‘Zombie’ by The Cranberries for the gala. This is for everybody.”

“It’s been a very rewarding experience knowing that we’re doing something that’s benefitting these teenagers in the community, and helping this age group specifically,” he said. “We’re getting there. Good things are happening. We are making beauty from broken.”