We’re diving straight in—right where I am now: sitting in long-term parking at San Francisco Airport, adding events into CERVIS. (CERVIS is our volunteer portal—a platform we carried over from our days as Love Hope Strength. It helps us keep events organized and manage volunteers efficiently, which is crucial when we’re juggling multiple shows, cities, and last-minute changes. It’s not perfect and definitely time-consuming when adding dozens of events manually, but it keeps the chaos somewhat controlled.)
CLICK HERE to register to volunteer on CERVIS
It’s a painfully tedious process because every band and venue does timing differently, so I have to hunt down door times just to make sure volunteers know when to show up. Right now, I’m plugging in all the Bouncing Souls dates… then moving on to The Toasters and Save Ferris. Just, you know, 30+ more volunteer opportunities to enter. No big deal just feeling the stress of my TO DO list HARD)
Meanwhile, I’m waiting for Sarah to land so we can hit Costco for gas, get an oil change, and—fingers crossed—check into the hotel early because I feel disgusting. I used a body wash wipe, but let’s be real, I still feel gross.
DollFest: A Powerhouse of Femme Energy
The Doll Fest Pre-Show was hands down the best night for PRSL. We swabbed 20 people for the bone marrow registry, had endless conversations, and got lucky with placement—right in the entranceway, catching everyone as they walked in. It was a small crowd, but the energy? MIGHTY. The bands blew me away and honestly they blew me away consistently throughout the entire weekend. Check them out.
DAY ONE of DOLLFEST - the ACTUAL FEST brought together some of my absolute favorite humans: Dollheads, Iron Roses, and Tsunami Bomb. Dollheads are some of the best young people we’ve had the pleasure of working with at multiple events. They’re out of Las Vegas—keep them on your radar. Iron Roses feels like family at this point. Just existing in the same space as them makes life better, which tracks, considering I have their lyrics tattooed on me. There is just a connection there and has been since the moment I met them. I have never met a band that fits so well in the ideals of Punk Rock Saves Lives - the ideals that actually keep me pushing past the stress. And Tsunami Bomb? They have my whole damn heart. Especially Andy, who also runs Sell The Heart Records.
Northern California might just have some of the nicest punks in the world. It’s also where I got to squeeze in a couple more days with the incredible humans of Middle Aged Queers since they were in attendance. I never thought I’d find a sense of belonging in music scenes across the country the way I do at home in Denver, but here we are
Despite being stuck in a less-than-optimal venue spot, I felt okay because they were there. We swabbed 13 people and brought in about $120 in donations—not great, but we kept pushing. Meanwhile, I was exhausted and dealing with neck pain that was creeping into migraine territory. My mental health has been hanging by a thread for so long now, stretched thin under the weight of nonstop stress. Running a nonprofit, keeping everything afloat, constantly worrying about funding, logistics, and just making it all work—it’s relentless. And the worst part? There’s no real ‘off’ switch. Even when I’m home, my brain doesn’t stop.
The Financial Reality of Running a Nonprofit
This week, financial stress hit HARD. Gas is expensive. Websites, domains, and emails are expensive. I even had to skip my own payroll just to make sure we had enough for gas and insurance. People don’t realize how costly it is to run an organization like this.
Just this week, we’ve had to pay for:
✔️ Gmail suite (WHY IS AN EMAIL SO DAMN EXPENSIVE??)
✔️ Slack
✔️ Storage unit
✔️ CERVIS - Volunteer platform
✔️ Venue contact access platform
✔️ Artist management and booker platform
✔️ Tolls
✔️ Gas
✔️ Business & vendor insurance
✔️ Phone bills
✔️ Accounting services
✔️ Document services
And that’s just operations. Whether donations come in or not, these bills keep rolling out. And this month? We’re deep in the negative. I’m always looking for ways to cut costs, but some things are just necessary to function. Right now, we’ve got about $4,000 in the account. That’s not enough for any kind of emergency. Not enough for me to get paid so I can catch up on the bills that keep piling up. Not enough to feel safe or secure while living out of a van. Not enough for Rob to be out on the road with the Smoking Popes. Not enough for David to start touring with Bumpin Uglies in March. We keep pushing forward because that’s what we do—but the reality is, we’re running on fumes.
Is this the appropriate place to say CLICK HERE to donate to help my stress levels go down a smidge? (LOL—because let’s be real, if I wasn’t laughing, I’d be sobbing.)
Day Two: Panic Attacks, Pep Talks & Pushing Forward
I woke up at 5 AM with a full-blown panic attack. Luckily, I got to have coffee with Pedro from Iron Roses, which helped. Friends really do make all the difference when I am struggling.
The highlight? Half Past Two played the Josie and the Pussycats song, which gave me a much-needed serotonin boost. But then Slack started acting up, which meant a flood of messages, troubleshooting, and stress. Slower day for us—only three swabs—but MULTIPLE BANDS gave us a shoutout, which was a much-needed win for the day. It was unexpected. I didn’t really know anyone to ask for a shoutout on DAY TWO, and yet, so many happened anyway. A lot of that is thanks to our volunteer PD absolutely killing it—dancing in the crowd all day and making sure people knew who we were. I used to have that kind of energy, but these days? I’m just so damn tired.
Dollfest was something truly SPECIAL. Our little team felt the impact of a fest built on femme energy and pure community power. Every single band brought it, and the energy was unreal. If you haven’t already, do yourself a favor and check out the artists who made this event unforgettable. You won’t regret it. We want to be there every year it exists.
CLICK HERE for the spotify playlist of DOLLFEST 2025.
What’s Next?
I’m on day four of panic attack dreams and about to start the 19-hour drive back to Colorado—where, of course, a blizzard is currently wrecking everything. The plan? Five days at home before hitting the road again.
Next stops:
🔥 Counterpunch
🔥 ThriftCon-Los Angeles
🔥 Wheatus
🔥 Save Ferris
🔥 California Roots
🔥 Never Early Fest
This time on the road (just 23 days) is already testing me in ways I expected—and in ways I didn’t. The stress, the long hours, the financial strain—it’s all real. But so is the impact we’re making. So is the community we’re building. And that’s why I keep pushing forward. It’s the little pilot light that keeps sparking when I feel completely depleted—of energy, of passion, of the will to keep pushing forward. When the stress piles up, when the exhaustion sets in, when the financial strain feels suffocating, it’s this community that reignites that fire. The people who show up, who believe in what we’re doing, who remind me why this work matters—they’re the reason I keep going.
Because at the core of all of this, beyond the logistics and the late nights and the endless problem-solving, is something simple: human connection. We’re out here building something real. And that kind of fire doesn’t burn out even when I am sure I am just a shell of a person some days.
Punk Rock Saves Lives isn’t just about swabbing for the registry or handing out harm reduction materials—it’s about showing up. It’s about creating spaces where people feel seen, where they know they belong, where they realize they can make a difference, too. Every person who stops by our table, every volunteer who jumps in to help, every band that gives us a shoutout—it all adds up to something bigger than any one of us. It’s a movement built on punk ethics: mutual aid, solidarity, and the refusal to stand by when we can do something good.
You really do keep me alive—even on the days when I’m not sure I want to be. This community—it’s what keeps me tethered when everything feels like it’s slipping. I don’t take that lightly.
If you want to help keep this movement alive, get involved. Volunteer, donate, share our mission, or just show up. Every action, big or small, matters. Follow along, support the journey, and let’s keep proving that punk rock really does save lives
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