Names and faces

■ Demi Lovato was named a Global

Citizen ambassador at the organization’s annual music festival Saturday, championing the mental health of thousands of children displaced within Iraq. The singer and the Global Citizen organization will fund the expansion of a Save the Children pilot program, Healing and Education through the Arts, for Iraq’s

Kirkuk and Salah al Din areas. “Ending the stigma around mental health conditions and supporting internally displaced children to build physical and mental resilience through education and access to justice is not a choice; it needs to happen, and it needs to happen now,” Lovato said onstage in New York City’s Central Park. Since 2014, more than 3 million Iraqis have been displaced within the country because of armed conflicts. Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children, told the festival crowd that the program will allow children scarred by the violence to process trauma “through drawing, painting, music and other art forms” as a way to begin healing and “rebuild their self-confidence and trust in others.” Lovato has been an advocate for mental health issues after sharing her own struggles with eating disorders, substance abuse and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. ■ Shawn Mendes, who last week avoided injury when a powerful earthquake shook central Mexico as he prepared for a show in Mexico City, has launched an online fundraiser to help those affected by the disaster. The Canadian singer-songwriter and his manager, Andrew Gertler, got things started with a $100,000 donation to the fundraiser on GoFundMe’s Crowdrise platform. The money will go “directly to disaster relief in Mexico” via the American Red Cross, the GoFundMe page says. In an email, Mendes said the earthquake struck Tuesday while he was in his hotel getting ready for a show the next day. “The whole building was shaking pretty severely, but we were fortunate to be somewhere that was structurally sound enough to withstand it,” he wrote. He added that “there were just so many people out on the streets trying to stay safe and that had been evacuated from buildings, and as we were walking saw quite a few buildings that had collapsed facades, windows shattering on the streets.” The 7.1-magnitude quake reduced buildings to rubble and killed hundreds of people in central Mexico. Mendes said he sends his prayers to everyone affected and that he would love to return when he can. “I want to come back as soon as possible. It is an incredible city and the people there are so strong and resilient,” he said.

Mendes

Lovato