Texas Spirits raises money and awareness for Make A Wish

By Kaila Murphy, Junior, Public Relations

Texas Spirits will host its 13th annual Band Jam benefit concert Nov. 6 to raise money and awareness for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.

"Band Jam was started in 1995 as a way for people to help grant these little kid's wishes and enjoy live music from local bands at the same time," said Hailey Riddick, a College of Communication junior and service officer for Texas Spirits.

Texas Spirits - an honorary social, spirit and service organization for University of Texas students -- raised over $20,000 through Band Jam 2007. This year, the group plans to raise $25,000, which would help the Make-A-Wish Foundation grant the wishes of five children in the Central and South Texas areas.

In addition to raising funds, Texas Spirits is creating a buzz about the Make-A-Wish Foundation among University of Texas students.

For the past week, members from Texas Spirits have been attending the meetings of other student organizations to publicize and promote the Make-A-Wish Foundation, their mission and their wish-granting accomplishments. Members will also set up tables in West Mall on the university campus the week of Band Jam. There, students will be able to learn more about the Make-A-Wish Foundation and purchase tickets for the benefit concert.

"Band Jam doesn't just raise money, it helps get the Make-A-Wish name out there," Riddick said.

The nonprofit organization grants one wish every 40 minutes and has granted more than 171,000 wishes since its inception in 1980. Wishes granted vary from family trips to Hawaii and Disney World, to being president for the day, to personal cooking lessons with famous chef Emeril Lagasse.

"It's so neat to know that our work helped grant some of those wishes," said Riddick. "It just makes us all want to work that much harder to grant more wishes this year."

Although Texas Spirits, originally founded in 1941 as Texas Spooks, participates in other service events such as the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, American Red Cross blood drives and Habitat for Humanity, Band Jam is the organization's main philanthropy event. Planning for the benefit concert begins in early spring of each year and is overseen by the Texas Spirits Band Jam Committee.

"It seems like we start preparing for Band Jam earlier and earlier each year," said Candice Pederson, a junior Public Relations student and Texas Spirits executive officer. "But I guess it's paying off because Band Jam seems to get better and better every year too."

The benefit concert will feature seven local bands and is open to the public. Tickets can be purchased before the concert for $10 or purchased at the door for $12. In addition to ticket sales, Texas Spirits raises money through corporate sponsorships, selling Band Jam T-shirts and hosting fundraising events at local restaurants.

The lineup for Band Jam 2008 includes Curtis Grimes, The Pajamas, The Beautiful Fools, Parkers Break, Monarc Red, The Scotland Yard Sale and Fatback Circus. The concert will be held Nov. 6 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Stubb's Bar-B-Q, 801 Red River St.

For more information, visit http://bandjam08.weebly.com/