What started at WEFTEC in 2011 as an informal jam session with a few like-minded musicians grew into a must-attend side event at WEF's 2015 conference and expo.
The first official Jammin'4Water event took place at WEFTEC 2013 in Chicago. That year, about 120 people attended. The following year, at the House of Blues in New Orleans, the crowd jumped to nearly 300 and the group was able to donate $17,000 to water-related charities.
This year, crowd-pleasing performances from water quality professionals -- operators, engineers and manufacturers alike -- attracted a record 750 fans to Chicago's historic Park West theater and raised $34,000 for charity.
Check out our slideshow of pictures from Jammin'4Water 2015 >
"The first year it was like a garage band in a small pub," said Dave Kinnear, HDR vice president and one of the organizers of Jammin'4Water. "This year was absolutely amazing."
This year's charity organizations included:
- WEF Students & Young Professionals Committee
- Charity: Water
- Ecoloodi
- Engineers Without Borders
- Global H2O
- Kids Connection Haiti
- Water For People
- World Water Relief
The event attracted support from a number of sponsors, including:
DIAMOND
PLATINUM
GOLD
| SILVER
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"It's a win-win for everybody," said Kinnear. "The musicians have a great time and love to do it. The charities get a nice contribution. And the supporters get to turn it into their own party."
Looking ahead to next year, Kinnear said Jammin'4Water has picked up ten new sponsors. If all goes according to plan, organizers hope the event will attract about 1,000 people and raise $50,000 for charities.
If you'd like to learn more about Jammin'4Water, please visit:
Website: www.jammin4water.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jammin4water
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGzj-KILvCNK0qpQzq_45WQ
And keep your eyes open for details on the 2016 Jammin'4Water event in New Orleans.
In the meantime, if you would like to participate as a musician or sponsor, please contact Dave Kinnear via email at: [email protected].
