Have fun, celebrate live music, and support a great cause during HAAM Benefit Day throughout Austin, Tuesday, September 23.
Support your local musician!
Sponsor: Whole Foods Market
Benefiting: Health Alliance for Austin Musicians
Lineup and Info: MyHamm.com
Place: Throughout Austin
When: Tuesday, September 23, 2014
Hours: 6 a.m-past midnight
AUSTIN — Live Music is at the heart of Austin’s highly touted scene. As much as Austin loves its musicians, most of them live a “seat of the pants” lifestyle, which feeds the soul better than the pocketbook.
The musician’s life is not usually one of steady paychecks, the kind with social security and health insurance deductions, and so their lives are far from secure and their assets are often fleeting. It’s one thing to write, play, and sing music for one’s “supper”; it’s another to face health care needs with little to no resources.
Enter HAAM. In 2005, founder Robin Shivers “had a dream” that Austinites would come together to provide support to their beloved musicians. Because she did, today the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM) is an active organization made up of a cross section of musicians, businesspersons, and community leaders who are “committed to ensuring that Austin’s low income, uninsured musicians have access to affordable health care.”
Since it began, HAAM has helped over 4,000 musicians secure healthcare appointments. They cover all needs, from dental to prescriptions to counseling to outpatient procedures. HAAM has a dedicated staff, volunteers, a board, and a development council that help with services and funding. Information on how you can donate time or money is on the HAAM website.
HAAM Benefit Day, hosted by Whole Foods Markets, is Tuesday, September 23, 2014. Musicians (most of whom are HAAM members) will perform throughout the day in stores and on outside stages across Austin from 6 a.m. to well past midnight. The complete performance lineup and other information can be found here.
Support your local musicians… shop, visit, listen.
[Beverly Baker Moore, an Austin-based writer, teacher, and activist, is a contributing editor to The Rag Blog. Find more articles by Beverly Baker Moore on The Rag Blog.]
